You are CEO of steem as well. With you and everyone, it won't get dead in the water. Steemit is one app, plus there has been history and alot of improvement have occurred. Try go back in time a bit and see where steem was at about two years ago and find out that there has been positive adjustments and its been ongoing. Change happens gradually and on steem, this change has alot to do with us. If we see steem as ours or at least a portion of it and make sure this portion doesn't crumble, it won't crumble.
Disputes on the surface may not mean disputes in the background. While we talk about it, there may be handshakes behind the scenes. Payouts was 24 hours before it became 7 days (was also an adjustment of curb on gaming of the system like you put it), pointing to the fact that on steem, consensus can be made and adjustments achieved. Plus, there wasn't provision for delegation or the bot enterprise before now, showing again that change can indeed happen but alot of the change involves us. Now more than used to be the case, minnows and dolphins have more amplified voices as our SP now has more influence as opposed to how it was in the past where whales had squared power. When changes have been agreed upon and implemented, it gets tested and our feedback is important in another adjustment happening, so a lot has to be with us. Anyone can also be witness. But like is the case in real life and communities, when there is a new witness, his voice may become amplified overtime, same as change or adjustments even positive adjustment happens over time. The simple truth is, there has been many positives since steem started. Note, that steem wasnt even this scalable in the past, so as per speed even, if it becomes our priority to make it faster, it is attainable. Disputes and all aside, i doubt very much that Dan would want to see steem fail. There bigger things than stuff like that. He was a major part of its creation.
There is no reason why EOS and Steem can't compliment one another.
Thanks for providing more background. I feel too many witnesses are self serving and offering their upvote for pay. I do not put you in that same category and admire what you are doing with streemgigs.
Thanks for the insights. As I have said if I didn't believe there was hope for Steem I would not be here.