Thought-provking stephen!
A couple months ago I had a nightmare, which I posted about .. it was meant to be funny, but it's not funny at all.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@kurtbeil/had-a-nightmare-last-night-ned-dan-me-and-zuckerberg
As I understand it, there is nothing really "acquirable" with STEEM as it is pretty much available to anyone to rip off. STEEMIT.com however might be something that could be sold, along with its userbase, to Facebook .. which would theoretically add it on as an app, at first, like messenger, but later could use STEEM Facebook-wide.
The other way to kill the independent project, is BRAINS! BRAINS! BRAINS! .. they could buy key personnel at STEEMIT Inc., and do something completely new but similar, as long as those individuals signed agreements to abandon STEEM & STEEMIT. This I think would be the best option, because the first would result in a massive backlash by we the current users.
What we the users would see/feel if either of these options were realized .. we would feel as if the bridge crew abandoned ship after setting a course for the sun. :)
looks around nervously
The issue I see is that let's say Dan and Ned have just invented a way to make oil out of fresh and only have a few people who believe them that it will happen. At $17million the big oil companies would leverage a negative bet, nailing the price to the ground and eventually simply turn off their invention..!! Stephen
Ahhh... I see, this is corporate behavior we have seen before, but you know these days this kind of thing could backfire to a tune far greater than $ 17 million - I do not believe they would try to crush, but rather choose to ignore if they are not considering implementing something similar. If it became widely-known that Facebook tried to snuff a technology that benefited users, it would speed the demise of centralized social media.
No, clearly the best thing for them to do is to create something similar, because it will soon be clear to all social media users, everywhere, that this is vastly improved experience, over the old .. like .. like .. like .. to no end. Facebook will respond to the demand .. there is no reason they could not have a rewards based crypto-currency in-place 'and still' retain centralized control of content and user data.
I did a skype interview on this subject last year. It is all about shareholders vs crypto account holders. In essence by gifting rewards to content providers you are robbing the shareholders of their earning potential. On other words this will either go 100% right or 100% wrong and the only way it will go 100% right is if there is a shift in investment strategy by the BIG INSTITUTIONS. Stephen
Ohhhh hey, never thought of that - it sounds as if that would be the case, and if true it would be our greatest protection. However, if they created a chain-based currency, or "rewards token", (only to track upvotes/downvotes/tips), where people who 'held' the currency would have more upvote power than those who had very little AND, no money would be leaving Facebook coffers .. as was the case with their failed Rewards System, that they had attempted .. then there is no barrier.
In-fact, the value of the currency increasing with adoption and usage, as STEEM is supposed to experience, would add to the bottom-line of Facebook, so it is truly a win-win .. more users, happier users, and implementing a cutting edge blockchain-based technology, that adds to their bottom-line .. in a substantial way, with absolutely no risk!?
It is shocking that they have not already put this in motion.