Regarding the dog eat dog for the last breadcrumbs, I tend to disagree. We are in a phase where they are building out the site, and the community is working on projects that will add value in the long term.
I think this article does a good job explaining it:
https://steemit.com/steembubble/@dan-atstarlite/why-the-steem-bubble-was-an-investment-round-and-not-a-product-launch

The problem we have right now is more of a short term surplus supply/debt one, which I believe can be solved through proper monetary/fiscal policy by the community/witnesses.