I agree there may be less users than indicated, and I agree that this is a thing.
Don't post things you don't want publicly known about you goes for us all.

will always ensure the cabal stay in the same position

Forgive me if I don't ascribe supernatural powers to the luckiest early adopters.
If those fellas make a pile of cash, lucky on them.
The biggest of them is gone, and the cracks are showing in the second layers.
At some point the reality will sink in and folks will stop granting godlike powers to folks with lots of influence.

The more that stake is voted as a block the more folks will start to figure it out.
I'm waiting on the demise of the curation gangs, that will be a good day.