Underpaying but still making the other person happy because it's more than they earned before.

Giving them the shit jobs, unpaid overtime, etc.

Remarks behind the back about things like weight, eating habits, and being ashamed about things they take for granted.

Having your existence denied completely (e.g. the cleaners mentioned)

Interesting. Coming from a rather poor background (refugee) i was lucky enough to not experience this in tech.

I do notice a disconnect in perspective and priorities though. Also i live in europe, where this is maybe a tad different.

I live in Europe now, and it's far less pronounced here. Americans seem much more status and class conscious.

I'd say the difference is that Americans are obsessed with money, and they think you need to flaunt it just because you have it. The idea of having a rusty old beater car, let alone bike to work, if you're rich just baffles them.

Status and class here is much more subtle, you often can't tell from the way a person dresses (at least at first glance) and what he drives if he's a billionaire or secretary.

I think the pay difference in Europe is much lower. There’s also a ton of not quite poor, but certainly not rich people.

I'm guessing lower pay, larger workloads, etc. I'm not surprised that many managers/founders will exploit your fears to get more work out of you for less. Same way that those on an H1B get the short end of the stick.