I think as far as Hive goes, it is about building wide - a wide range of usecases where while not many may be hyper successful, many will build a solid user base that adds value and keeps spreading. building tall means that once the use case falls from favour, the tower comes tumbling down.
Ah, but the keep spreading part more than often feels as if some low ceiling was reached and never gone through. and each project by itself still has the vulnerability of a tower. Even among other towers within sight from the windows.
Still, perhaps this is the same as in Nature's diversification strategy. The strong will survive and the Hive will keep evolving?