Or, philosophy a set of golden apples (by which we're distracted or beguiled).

I think your argument depends, one what capitalist societies we are talking about.
When it comes to access to education, then most capitalist-liberal-societies have managed to create a system of education that is theoretically open to anyone, for pursuing any career option they deem fit for themselves. If we were to look at the case of the United States, or countries where such an "open" system of education does not exist, the problem generally gains a financial dimension and your argument would be, I think, very true. But anywhere else in the West of the World it is, in my opinion, a bit more complicated.
In that sense, philosophy and science, become only differentiable through the means necessary for each, to come to results. In science you are only able to come up with results, and prove them worthy of being called "truth", by making use of infrastructure that is hard and expensive to come by. But if we locate the argument, within such an "open" system, as I described it above, one is perfectly able to make scientific innovations with the help of public funding or within the frameworks of larger corporations or government institutions. Actually, rather few of the worlds scientists would be considered "rich".

I am of course not suggesting that only the poor should philosophize and the rich should make technological innovations but it seems that in a capitalist society, this is usually the case. — Nagel

You think it is Capitalism inducing this issue, and not the nature of reality itself? Philosophical exploration can hardly even be pursued if basic needs aren't met. Philosophy produced science, mothered it, as an inductive art in proportion with society growing greater in wealth and the tech that facilitated the slow expansion of wealth. It is actually a Capitalist society, one with immense wealth that respects property claims and rewards individual aptitude, that produces more scientists and philosophers alike than any other society in the history of Human Kind. And the more Capitalistic, the greater the production of wealth and science. That's because basic needs are met and interests can be pursued with greater intesnity, instead of dedicating oneself to the pursuit of basic needs. The people who say that absurd statement above you generated and mean it are twofold:

1. Those who do not know that science was created by philosophy
2. Those who wish you to regard philosophy as a threat and wish to see you remain ignorant

In other words, the ignorant and the power hungry, and the power hungry have the ignorant right where they desire them to be. These are, as it happens, the very same people who inspired that reaction you had of dreaming big for yourself, placing a value on someting that was for your maximization; the shattering of the mirror. And I hear both types of people in your words, speaking through you in them. I doubt it was you doing the shattering, which is why it bummed you out. The mirror was shattered, because you accepted the validity of someone elses argument about how that was stupid. Then you accepted the argument that even philosophy, life's single greatest pursuit, and the Human Race's single greatest achievement, was also a point of you settling, in place of some higher goal; it isn't. Our Elon will fly his ass to the moon and back before he realizes that humanity has only one source of meaning: The individual Human Consciousness that defies the austerity of reality enough to independently pursue self generated value(s), and the pursuit itself thereafter. I would love it if Elon would think along philosophical lines for more than ten minutes, he could produce wonders beyond imagine. But, in the meantime, at least our Elon is here, with us, fighting for a future for Human Kind in a capacity that only he and Capitalism, can or will ever fulfill. Go fulfill whatever dreams genuinely come to your mind, and fuck all those who would stand in your way.

1. Those who do not know that science was created by philosophy — Garrett Travers

"Necessity is the mother of invention" originated from Plato:

“Come, then, let us create a city from the beginning, in our theory. Its real creator, as it appears, will be our needs.” “Obviously.” [369d] “Now the first and chief of our needs is the provision of food for existence and life.”4“Assuredly.” “The second is housing and the third is raiment and that sort of thing.” “That is so.” “Tell me, then,” said I, “how our city will suffice for the provision of all these things. Will there not be a farmer for one, and a builder, and then again a weaver? And shall we add thereto a cobbler and some other purveyor for the needs of body?” “Certainly.” “The indispensable minimum of a city, then, would consist of four or [369e] five men.”

and that my economic status was not suitable for an inventor.
This realization somehow dampened my mood. Reflecting once more, I reassured myself. Shortly afterwards I came up with a quote.

Philosophy is the poor man's Science and Science is the rich man's Philosophy... in the context of creativity. — Nagel

Fear not. Watching too much netflix and youtube will make you feel that way.
Here, let me help you sort it out. Many philosophers came from wealth. Some denounced it. Seneca, Aristotle, Plato, and Pythagoras were all wealthy while philosophers. Contemporary ones include Wittgenstein. If I am reading you incorrectly, then let me know.

But I'm pretty sure our great philosophers did not consult youtube or netflix to decide whether to become a scientist or a philosopher.

But I'm pretty sure our great philosophers did not consult youtube or netflix to decide whether to become a scientist or a philosopher. — L'éléphant

Bingo!