It's fair to say majority of airline pilots started on gliders. Of course gliding a 767 is no joke.
I used to follow Patrick Smith, aka "Ask The Pilot". He didn't start with a glider.
Now I follow Scott Manley. He just got his private pilot license, and did not start with a glider. Nor did my missionary pilot uncle. Nor did a co-worker of mine who was learning to fly.
Hereabouts I see gliders sometimes, but I far more often see powered aircraft. I get the impression there are far more powered flight schools than glider schools; https://www.flightschoollist.com/california-glider-schools/ lists 13 glider schools in California while https://www.flightschoollist.com/california-airplane-flight-... list 91 for powered flight.
E.g. gliding is really big in Germany where it gained popularity especially after WWII.
It's fairly cheap and usually organised as hobby clubs instead of commercial schools.
For example a club in my area offers young people, ages 15-25, flying lessons until their first solo for a flat fee of 400€.
Many people who are interested in aviation use this to get their first piloting experiences while still in school. Some then take the next step of becoming commercial pilots.
Motorised flight on the other hand is much more expensive and (on a private level) done by people who, usually, already have a (well paying) job.
Struggling to see what glider knowledge applies here (other than, perhaps, glider pilots slip to land more frequently since it isn't like they have power to remove).