How about try listening to your customers (users)? Maybe the attrition rate wouldn't have been so high and all the newcomers exiting so fast if you paid them some attention to understand why they showed up in the first place... I've given you many messages myself, but you ignore them. Sad for all the people involved, but until you realize that in any business you must learn what your customers want, then this place will not turn around. I gave it a solid year and made 500 steem ($150) and spent many many hours a day.

Here's a perfect example:

I wrote a post for @abh12345's contest on why Steemit is so good and my post was in the top 3... But you didn't comment it, or upvote it... nor did you take the time to comment or mention the winner either.... You were friends with one of the girls and managed to give her a $1 or $2 upvote, so obviously you saw the contest, but didn't take the time to comment on people actually trying to help YOU and YOUR COMPANY... Pretty sad in so many respect...

1. it makes you appear that you are an elite that doesn't care about the "common folks"
2. it makes you a bad marketing guy because that message from the contest should've been not only have been read, but PROMOTED.
3. it makes people lose respect for you as a leader, because you are not just failing to lead, but you don't even recognize the leaders like Asher (@abh12345)... How can you lead if you fail to spot other leaders? (think about it and be honest, you know I'm right)
4. the failure to upvote the winning post, while giving a trivial upvote to someone you are connected to also sends a message that a) you're cheap and b) you're willing to reward your friends for their content (with an implicit, "as long as they suck up to you"). NOTE: I was not the winning post, but I damn well remember how I felt that day about your snub of the actual winner.

I doubt you will listen to this, and I certainly don't care about any upvotes anymore. I just thought maybe someone telling you the truth might one day get through. You are a young guy, but you have put yourself in surroundings that you a) get told what they think you want to hear or b) get complete hate negativity thrown in your direction. I would suggest that listening to either of those groups has put you and Steemit in the position it is today. I would also suggest that you "search" for people that will tell you the truth.

One last thing, if you're going to run a "social" platform, you should try to let people have more than 10 comments a day... If you think there is any way in hell people are going to pay you to talk, then you have no idea what motivates the common man/woman. A social site that restricts its users to a point that is noticeable, will die a quick death (as I'm sure you've seen in the numbers). And by the way, I (and many others) tried to tell you this when HF20 came out, but for some reason whoever's instincts its was to go forth and see if people would accept it was dead wrong. I can only hope that person is in the 70% because they really did a disservice to you and the company.

Take care and good luck, I truly hope Steemit succeeds and steem goes up in value. I have many friends that I've met here and I also see the potential. But until there is a leader at the top that "gets it", then it won't ever come close to that potential. I do hope if you stay in that role, that you develop the skills. I myself learned them over a long career. It doesn't happen overnight, but you are capable of fixing this and if you do, then everyone will put this moment in time behind them.

Cheers!