Today the founder of OnlyFans, Leonid Radvinsky, has passed away at age 43. He made a fortune, around $3 billion, thanks to a platform where other people monetize their bodies.

He kept 20% of every transaction: every video, every message, every tip. While creators struggled with the algorithm, payment chargebacks, and the constant risk of losing their accounts, all just to cover their basic expenses. Meanwhile, for him, staying at the top meant getting a cut of every revenue stream, and he was seen as a "tech entrepreneur."

However, the man was not an innovator in the tech sector—he was probably one of the most effective intermediaries ever seen.

What's curious is that OnlyFans was profitable from day one. No external venture capital funding or need to go public. When your model is based on taking one-fifth of what others generate with their own content, you don't need investors… you need people willing to accept those conditions without questioning them too much.

Even with a fortune worth billions, he couldn't overcome cancer at age 43. And that leaves an inevitable question: where are we really heading?