I do all my outdoor rides solo. Last time I rode in a group was probably when the Iron Cowboy rolled through my area on his 50/50/50 thing a few years ago. I showed out for that just to see what it was all about and be a (very small) part of it.

I doubt I'd be into group riding/events/races on Zwift, since I don't seek any of those things out IRL.

Personally I think it's only partially a reproduction of real life, there's more to it than that; and not wanting to ride in groups in real life doesn't mean you wouldn't enjoy the dynamics of riding in groups on Zwift. There's no obligation to interact socially with anyone if that's not your thing - It's not really mine on Zwift. However, group rides and races on Zwift do make it far more engaging and interesting in my opinion. The entire objective of Zwift is surely to provide context for the effort you're making, mostly via visual feedback. Some of that is just the terrain, but group riding adds far more to that.

I'd disagree with you - I'd wager that if you did a Zwift fondo or big group ride (not just a race), you'd find it really fun and interesting. You might think you have to love outdoor group rides to love a Zwift group ride, but it's not the case.

Thanks for all the responses and not letting the thread to devolve into a Wahoo vs Tacx/Garmin debate and distract from the OP's post. With all that said, I saw that Clever Training has/had the Kickr in stock so ordered up one from them. Looking forward to getting the Pain Cave set up and seeing where this all goes. Fingers crossed for no issues!