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With things as they are I don't see it surviving long term. I'm trying to make stakeholders aware of the problems in hopes that they can be solved before it's too late, but even if not I think Steem has a lot of value (while it lasts) as a gateway to blockchains and cryptocurrency for more mainstream people who wouldn't be likely to jump into other chains directly.

I 100% agree, and it was pretty much my gateway as well. I think maybe they will start implementing some changes that may help the longevity of the platform as well, but I do believe the bots will eventually kill it completely.