But it is a successful business model, but just not in the way you imagine. Its not designed for the little guy to get ahead. Its design is based (rewards/payouts) on Zipfs Law (google it) See Steemit white paper page 20. They are not hiding it, merely not discussing it. Example me a minnow having 10 steem power or 1/3 a cent (or less) voting power means nothing, you with 36,000 steem power has a vote worth 10 cents. Minnows will always be minnows. Zipfs Law. The 1%, the 10% and the 89%. There is no middle, it is designed that way. There will never be a trout or a marlin or tuna.