The making friends and influencing people continues, I see. :)
I think you established quite well that there's really no end in sight for the bid bots. If people use them, they will continue to exist. If people stop using them, they will come up with various ways to keep going.
The only way this ends is if bot owners decide to walk away, and somehow others don't make any to take their place.
Like that's ever going to happen!
What kind of incentive exists to do that? When the only effort is to build the bot, tweak it occasionally, then sit back and watch the SBD roll in. I can't think of anything. The only thing that takes less effort is to delegate SP to someone (no bot needed), sit back, watch the SBD roll in.
One thing I wonder about. If all this community filtering that you bring up actually does happen, and the bots are regulated to the darkest corners of Steemit, wouldn't it also make it easier to identify them. And if, as you say, someone creates a creator bot so that the bid bots (including the creator's own) start bidding on it, wouldn't they, eventually eat each other?
Also, I actually did read the very subtle shot across the bow you made at the end. :) The art of the teaser is not lost on you, sir.
Yup. It's a tough life!
Although in future, they may need to up the meme output a little :)
Yes.
I think there will be increasing competition and a reduction in bots but when the delegations fall, most of the owners will have enough SP to self-vote like a goodun'.
It's something to speculate on for now, we shall see.
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