I reckon this is the best comment on this post so far. Thanks!
"Was it intended to be a long term guide to the development of Steemit or just a document for getting it launched?"
It's a bloody great question! Maybe the whitepaper is a bit irrelevant these days.
Thanks @buggedout. I recently also just got into cryptocurrencies in general and normally read at least most of the white papers before deciding to invest in any particular coin. For me, this discussion is really a test as to whether these whitepapers really mean anything or not. If whitepapers really don't mean anything, I'll know to keep my coin investments under scrutiny unless I need to 'bug out'.
Sounds like you are applying some common sense! Excellent! So good to see and so rare!
I have a developer background so I do actually value the whitepapers very highly. To me it is important to understand what the system designers were trying to achieve and then assess whether it is sensible, realistic and well implemented. I guess that's my issue here, maybe it wasn't well implemented so it'll take some work to fix it without breaking something else. Change Management is hard when the system already has a lot of use and is politicised!
It seems like it is fairly common for management to deviate from the white paper. I wish I had more of an understanding of tech to understand if this is a necessity, or if it is more of a result of the traditional management systems which still control the blockchains.
It also seems like hyperinflation would be a risk if the SBD isn't pegged to something. There is some quality converstaion on this post!
I don't think it's management deviating. It is external market forces using the product in a way that is not how it is intended. Management are then faced with the decision of whether to try and revert it to the design, or change the design, or do nothing.