Interesting. I didn't check since long. You mean the top witness pay those who vote for them? that is exactly by what I meant with witness "pools".
I think that it isn't that hard to do. You can track who votes for your witness and then you "just" have to have a system to automatically share a percentage of your steem witness income.
I think there is no other ways to hope to get on top.
Please keep me posted about your witness project.
regards,
No, I am saying that the upvote bots that users pay money to, to vote for their posts are being operated, in some cases, by top witnesses - so it is the other way around.. these top witnesses take money from users and SELL them votes.