Unfortunately, I'm not a mind reader or able to predict the future.
What you're suggesting is not a huge stretch. Consider, only about 0.000035% of users are whales (was using older numbers I found, but most recent results I could find, but less than 40 users).
The main point was that the platform was always about making profits, more than creating a platform that could attract users and fulfill on the promise of what the platform could deliver. If I was wrong, the usability issues would have been addressed, the issues of manipulating the system would have been blocked, and the focus of expansion would have been on improving systems deepening the functionality instead of spreading wide across a series of 'dapps' most of which are varying degrees of functional.
The results are pretty clear (when we can find metrics) that the platform has been on a downward spiral, fewer users, fewer comments, fewer posts, fewer rewards. I feel bad for anyone who is more invested in the platform than as a free hosting service for a blog.
RE: Statement: 0.22.5