The truth hurts

You can't obtain any title unless you play O-T-B

no shirt sherlock

I thought something smelled funny.

I think the reason so few people reach top level chess after learning at a late age is not because of lack of talent, or lack of money, or lack of dedication, or lack of resources. 

I think the reason is because if someone wants to start chess at age 25 (or more) and is willing to spend the hours, dedication, money etc just to become a grandmaster, that goal alone tells me they are not smart enough to ever become a grandmaster. 

Adults just don't have time. That's the only difference. You need at least 10k hours to reach mastery level in any discipline. If people start at age 30, they will be 40+ by then. Also not feasible due to family/work commitment. It's not like you can freely spend 12 hours a day playing chess like when you are a kid.

Something that Magnus made clear once about why you can only become a top GM if you start early, is that children process information differently.

For a young child, chess becomes their life, as opposed to an element within their life.

The brain as such attaches affinities to things that happen on the chessboard vs. things that happen in the realm of family, school, going out, etc.

This is why superGMs can see things no one can - they have emotional weights added to the visual and cortical information they're receiving. And in comparison, adults can only learn chess the robotic way-like it's a school subject- because their emotional attachments and affinities have already been formed.

There's hardly any adult who will 'emotionally' care about his C-knight, you see.
But to a top GM that knight may be more important than his parents. So maneuvering that knight is a matter of life and death, and not just part of a game. Adults 'know better' but that's why they don't make it as far. We would have to be entirely rewired. Do LSD until only pure unfiltered reality enters the brain, you have forgotten everybody and everything, and then start with a chessboard  

The truth is harsh.

This is pop-opinion, unscientific nonsense.  You're literally saying adults can't learn a second language.  I and countless others are counterexamples.

"the brain has a special map for these kinds of activities"

Show us evidence of the existence of such a "brain map".  You can't.

"due to some brain chemistry stuff".  Which, exactly?    You're making this up.

"no chance of becoming a grandmaster if he learns the game at say 25!"

GM McDonnell started at 27.   Stop spreading nonsense.

so much crap about not being able to learn as an adult to a high standard total BS,yes you can,the brain is plastic,and reshapes to new learning,science has proven this,sorry ,you are wrong completely ,

Pokimane is a GM but she hasn't said how she got the title 

No she isn't, it was just a joke / flair.

I don't think people mean that one can't learn anything as an adult, but that it is difficult to learn anything worth a damn. Some people learn later and make some progress, but that isn't the way to bet.

The truth might also be that most people might not be GM no matter what age they start at.

I don´t think one should blame age or letting age stopping people to get better at chess. Most people wont be titled anyway but they can at least become very good at chess even do they don´t earn a title.