While I agree with you that projection and propagandizing is a net negative on Steemit, it is practically inconsequential relative to the oligarchical profiteering that is, IMHO, the most substantial cause of the failure of Steem to moonshot.
I reckon Stinc has thrown it's eggs in the SMT basket, and Steemit has become merely a distraction, hardly worthy of the recent UI 'improvements' to their vision for Steem.
The most relevant issue that I find revelatory of Stinc's plans is the fact that control of the Steem blockchain is simple to buy, and that the mined stakes held by the founders is their golden parachute. In my conversations with them, I have explored fixes, and realized they don't consider it a flaw.
It's apparently, instead, a stepping stone.
You made a great point but we have to realize Ned and the founders earn it...the creators of this blockchain earn it... I could see a point if they are running a voting Bot farm and draining minnows but that is not the case....originality is not a strong point of this platform and the system doesn't have a metric of measuring it either.... the problem here, he is attacking a good actor on this platform and enabling others with motive to read their lines and run with it... we have to respect how people use their money here, the transparency of the wallet at times add to the drama and the jealousy doesn't help.... so you attack terry and he is gone, what next, is he willing to take up the mantle, I read through his post and quite frankly it lacks substance he is basically writing on work done by others, so what really is he point....
Just as with rights come responsibilities, so respect is balanced by criticism. I'll again make the point that I am not, and never, ever have, made a case that profiting from one's work is bad.
My point, which I have made both publicly and privately to those concerned (that were willing to speak to me about it at all), is that Steemit has been the practically sole driver of value of Steem, and the failure of Steem to be valued more highly is a direct reflection of the oligarchical hoarding of rewards (and mined stakes).
It is the failure of those with substantial holdings of Steem to implement the principles expressed in the white paper that advocate rewarding content producers and caution against mining the reward pool that is the cause of Steemit's current degradation, and the plummeting value of Steem.
I merely point this out, and have long advocated, in as respectful a tone as possible, to those with ability to affect it, potential rectification, to no avail.
While @ned may not be doing so (and who knows how many accounts he has?), others certainly are. @randowhale has been only recently retired, and the plethora of accounts linked to @berniesanders is notorious. No doubt, he is not alone in such strategies to derive benefit from his mined stake, and, instead of denigrating him for it, I have discussed with him the far greater profit potential that capital gains from the price of Steem holds.
While I know little of Terry, and most of what I do hear is positive, these sorts of tempests are, as I said, but inconsequential to the problems Steemit, and Steem, have. This probably a matter @surpassinggoogle feels strongly about, and I am sure his actions will reflect his personal interest in the matter, but this will not impact the price of Steem, or the survival of Steemit.
I realize that your focus (apparently) is what appears to be the defamation of an account that by all appearances has been practically singular in dedication to helping others, and I don't find this inappropriate at all.
It isn't the reason for systemic failures of the platform, nor of Steem's recent plunge in value.