Good points. I think Tony and the other staff don't really get why people read and write on Medium, especially write. People want a variety of articles to be written and then the best ones organically rise up because they are popular amongst many readers, not chosen by a select few gatekeepers. As a writer I want a fair and equal shot for each article. As a reader I come to Medium for something different, if I wanted highly curated professional publications I would look elsewhere.