. Hive just isn't meant to be a pyramid scheme but of course anything can be mistaken for one.
This is precisely the point. I will use it, but my colleagues are generally very suspicious. I have so far never managed to convince anyone, and in fact not even those already versed in cryptos back in the STEEM days (although for them it was clear what Hive was).
The more suspicious the better. Even without specifically prepared data we have time-supported metrics. And it can all be independently verified by anyone simply by looking at block explorers.
I should probably insist more on "check it out by yourself with a block explorer". Clever people may find out. I will try and see. :)