I do think that the reward distribution on Hive could be better as it is not always related to post quality. Well it probably never will be 100%, but it could improve. People who are well known on Hive or outside it may get more support to encourage them to stick around, but I think they should be using their influence in bring in more users. The rate of growth is pretty low.
There is too much automatic voting and not enough real engagement. I saw a post this week that had the most votes for the day, but no human comments until I added one. I think the guy is bemused by that. He is not a big commenter, but if he doesn't get many responses that may have an effect. I don't think he comments much on posts by others, but then he will say he is busy producing his art. Anyone who is actually marketing serious content has to work hard on that. He does at link to Hive on his own site.
We cannot be complacent. Hive is great technology, but it could remain an also-ran unless it gets better exposure to the world in general. I still hold out hope that some big 'influencer' or other prominent person will take to it and bring in their fans. When they do then they should get some support, but if they do enough then their actual fans will make it worth their while. I do think there is great potential in people with a smaller following who may not make much on other platforms, but could build something on Hive from loyal fans.