I hopped between distros for a long time. Before writing Linux off I suggest giving MX-Linux a shot. I’ve been loving it. It’s super solid. My only issue with it is that I can’t seem to get the right power settings set for closing my laptop but it’s probably something I’m doing wrong.
I think it’s the same reason games offer a cash shop for things you can get in-game. Sure they’re making billions but why not billions plus ad revenue? I don’t agree with the practice but the answer always comes back to money.