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The Dark Forest theory is a great answer to this paradox. Anyone more advanced has a rational choice to exterminate all competition. We haven’t found any other advanced life because it hasn’t shown up and killed us yet.
Why would they eliminate the competition if it was way behind in technology? Do we eliminate uncontacted tribes because they might be "competition"?
If aliens exist they probably have rules against interfering with primitive species. We are more like a band of chimps than an uncontacted tribe.
We don’t eliminate uncontacted groups any more because we’ve contacted everyone we want stuff from, and it didn’t work out well for them. Lower technology groups in the 1800’s submitted or were killed off. In a finite universe, any competition could one day try to take you out, so you take them out.
I don’t believe anyone can fathom another alien race, much less assign them ethical rules about interfering with other species. And apes are slowly being driven out of their habitat as we continue to expand.
Who said that they eliminate competition that's way behind technologically? They haven't eliminated us, so apparently they don't. But it seems plausible that they eliminate civilizations that are on the verge of becoming dangerous - still a great filter, but probably a bit further in the future.