So, how's my clickbait people? Well, if you clicked this article then I have some bad news for you... the little boy who could (play manager), didn't fire himself.
However, he fired about 70% of the Staff... how many?
Nobody knows...
I told you I was going to post about the current state of Steemit and how Ned is and was handling everything since I got here 1 year ago.
Throughout this post you can read my thoughts... and the community's thoughts, as I give you guys my point of view as well as my analysis on what the community says.
So without further ado, let's turn on the fan and hope that what's coming straight to it is only chocolate fudge (hint: it isn't).
A Light Approach: Be a Bit Humorous Guys!
So, this guy 
Perhaps to distract him from the fact his company is in trouble... but the real reason, according to me, is that he simply needs to fill his free time...
...because Lord knows he isn't doing it by working.
On a more serious note, 
During the great climb crypto made during that epic year, Steem was reaching levels of over $10... and people couldn't sign-up because sign-ups were manual during the whole time.
Yes, the mass adoption didn't happen because STINC had someone routinely get sign ups sorted rather than working out a system to do it automatically.
Ned Trusts His Own Product!
Did you guys ever notice that the person who should be the biggest STEEM steward never uses decentralized apps built on the blockchain, opting to use the mainstream alternatives.
What's a better way to tell your users you care than by shitting in the concept of your products and adopt the products you're supposedly competing against?
Seems like another great management class given to the community.
...and about
We Call This Chord the E-FALL Flat Major!
Managers, CEOs, Business Professionals, Enthusiasts, Steempreneurs and business owners can chill and be casual.
There's no harm done by acting like a child at times or having fun... the problem is taking responsibility for your actions.
Realizing you failed is something only a grown-up can do, and unfortunately I'm seeing no regret on Ned.
His strategy was profiting from speculation and letting speculation pay the company's bills.
He made no effort in designing a functioning business model, and I don't think he did it out of lazyness at all.
I honestly think he just didn't know why.
You see, he got to the throne as CEO with no Business or Marketing skills... and of course things were going great during the bull market, because DUH (saw those growth rates on the market?).
The problem is that Bears, like real world recessions, will always show who are the true businessmen and those who can adapt, improvise and overcome.
The layoff for 70% of the STINC crew should have included the CEO position as well. When football teams are doing poorly, they fire the coach for way less.
Anyways, do any of you know how many were fired? No concrete numbers, only percentage dials?
Crowdfunding:
Holy Moly.
- A) the Funders get a good deal (maybe the delegations you were talking about, but that would have to be thought about);
- B) The Community had trust in the management so they knew the funds were going to be used correctly.
Steem Monsters was represented by people with a huge pull on the community, like my friend 
Regardless, people believed in them, so sure it succeeded... If Matt had asked me for support, I would have supported them.
If Ned asked me for support on a crowdfunding campaign right now? Well, shave my legs and call me grandpa, I wouldn't help...
...and lots of the reasons on why I wouldn't help can be seen below.
DaveMCCoy: "You're a Poor Leader"
My friend and one of the "newbies" (you'll always be a newbie for me Dave hehe) on this blockchain called Ned a poor leader somewhere.
I don't remember where I saw the comment, but basically he was telling Ned he had zero skills in detecting who the community leaders were and pointed out a fellow Steward of mine 
The thing is, Dave is right.
But that isn't the core of what makes him a bad leader.
You see, a leader leads by example.
During the golden Days of the Crypto Empire (which is still active throughout the blockchain, but with many inactive members now due to the crisis), I was leading the crew by being what I wanted the community to be - I was commenting 24/7 constantly beating daily records, I was posting twice every day... I was helping initiatives.
I built bridges between communities and did what I thought would bring value for everything.
Now, my leadership had its gaps, but I tried.
Ned knows perfectly well what his community believes in (or if he doesn't he should read comments on his posts more often), but he fails to be the leader they deserve or want.
You see, using centralized competitor sites to post rather than posting in the Steem blockchain is just one single evidence that Ned doesn't give a crap about what his users believe.
I may not be a good leader, or I may be a good leader... but regardless of the outcome - I TRIED!
You just had to try Ned, people wouldn't be "pitchforking" on your back if you tried...
...instead, people know you don't care, and that's what it pisses me the most.
Of Course He Wasn't!
What I also know is that he tells it like it is, and that "certainly was not in favor of sharing any ad revenue with users"...
...well, I chuckled...
That's Neddy Boy alright!
It's Explained: What We Thought Confirmed:
So, remember me saying that his strategy was to rely on speculation to pay the bills as opposed to creating a stable model...
...
Perhaps a combination of both?
- Primary Funding Plan was critical, and this being it shows how it was "all rigged from the start".
- Self-Explanatory.
- Again, I think it wasn't due to neglect on this one, but lack of knowledge.... those concepts are simply too alien for people who aren't business people... and we know our CEO certainly isn't.
You know what? Let me tell you something else.
I am a Marketing Teacher and Digital Marketing guy and I offered my help to Steemit Inc. in the past.
I didn't get an answer.
Why did I offer it? Because I knew even a simple 4 man team could do better properly guided than what was being done in terms of marketing...
... pretty much nothing.
continues:
Did You Really Think a Game of Greater Fool Was Going to Pay the Bills Forever?
Yes, 
I Feel Your Pain!
It takes time and resources put apart for the endeavor.
The problem here is that the work should have been done or at least prepared BEFORE the crisis happened.
Companies should also have a stockpile of money to prepare for the stuff that needs to be done to achieve economic sustainability and for unforeseen circumstances.
With the Ninja Mined stake Stinc has and the fact the Steem price was so high at a point in time leads me to believe there was ample room to stockpile a few coppers...
Again, the lack of vision from the management was what got us here, not 
I know we're angry, but let's direct it to where it matters.
BernieSanders Vs. That Guy With the Graphs:
Steem has a lot of content producers and not enough content consumers.
Marketing should have had a bigger focus on getting content consumers, not on all the "Money Talks", "Get Rich Blogging" end that only got us more content producers and even bad ones at that since the good ones got convinced it was all a Pyramid scheme.
But again, if they relied on speculation to pay the bills, I guess that was their plan.
But I digress, my ol'pal 
Sure he did some things, but the problem lays with the hot air stuff, which was a big part of his job.
Last week, when I saw the trending page and all the crap that was showing the blockchain in Crisis, I missed the days in which the Trending Page was made out of Asian Graphs and a
Aaaaah those were the days.
Bring Back Wooden Clubs: Who Needs a Rifle Anyways?
During my time in the blockchain, I've agreed with 
There is nothing that justifies the archaic way of creating accounts we have here, and 
Imagine if we had automatic sign-ups during the bull market, holy moly this place would have grown.
Still have a friend that signed up in 2017 and didn't get the email yet.
Plus, I'm a hugely determined guy, but if I could only comment 3 times per week I would have given up as well.
Cognitive Dissonance: Say What?
So Steem is laying off 70% of its staff next week, but here's how things look like this week:
Steem is growing fast and looking to hire more.
Sigh... did you post this after dinner or after someone told you that you are the MAN?
Don't tell yourself you're great in front of the mirror on an empty stomach... that may also be it.
@ATS-DAVID: Again With This Guy?
Now you know as well?
I think the loyalist faction on Steem just shrug and close their eyes so they can't be harmed by reading his words of... reason!
Glad it isn't just me thinking the 70% should have included the guy playing the CEO in this theater.
Seriously guys, read that comment again, stop and think of the implications.
Blame The Witnesses: They should Have Worked Harder!
The most expensive website costs per visitor from th... Whoa, I'm glad you worked so hard in tackling that structural weakness last yearohh... wait.
Hashtag Transparency:
Uff, glad we have transparency.
Knowing how many staffers were fired, knowing what are the prospects on SMTs and dates, knowing how much of the Ninja Mined Stake still exists, knowing how much you guys are planning on dumping, knowing ....
.... oh crap, we don't know any of those things.
Nobody Saw the Crypto Crash Coming:
Nobody is a bit generous... BTC was at 20,000...
...everyone and their mothers suspected it of going down - Only Haejin and his followers thought SBD was hitting $34 from $10 in 2 weeks time (remember that prediction?)
The magic that started this place... part of the magic was because people were dreaming on what it would become with work.
What happened was only the community worked, the developers slacked... now again, I admit that they may have done their best, but lacked proper guidance and vision... as well as business sense.
@Kafkanarchy84 is Right Here:
The development was stalled, we got stuck in the Beta forever and the UI comes from 2000.
The thing is hideous and even the first launch of busy.org blew the whole thing into the dirt in terms of GUI.
Community members were always doing the bulk of the work.
Again, We Are Available:
Afer all of this, 
In fact, that is a constant in this blockchain, the community not only is available to help, but WANTS to help.
WE are the blockchain.
If Ned took advantage of the help he is constantly offered he would have had much more success in this endeavor.
I offered my services as well as many other people over the years, and I've just recently saw a steemian doing the same with a video down in one of the posts comment section.
I forgot his name.
The point is, we are always available.
Ned For President:
I won't lie, I'm in Politics too, and when I got in my mentor told me:
- You know, the secret to speeches is to talk a lot without saying a thing.
Well, where did the money go?
Where is it going now?
Fair question.
Matt Clarke is Good With Jokes:
Hooo ho ho ho, stop it 
... Stinc sending their funds to be burnt, now THAT is something we will NEVER EVER EVER SEE..
And this is why your closing statement is so dire... the price is going to get ugly really quick.
The blockchain itslef would be in danger... the nodes and whatnot, all would collapse with no price to back the expenses of seeting them up and etc...
Really bad.
Tech Giant Analogy:
Marketing, one of STINCs biggest failings. Seriously, when the "face" of the product is a GUI from 2000 and the communication is made like if it was a Ponzi Scheme you know something's up.
Apple had Marketing... Steemit has... 
:D
Just Putting This Here:
Funny how the community seems to be converging to a point...
Meanwhile Meme:
My Take on This Exchange of Words:
So, Ned and my friend
Here's what Ned is right about:
- Steem is not Steemit;
- Steemit, Inc is a Private Company;
- As a Private Company, they can deny
But here's the thing...
You can't hide your Ninja Mined stake, your dump amounts and all of the info requested, as well as the number of staff layouts, and ALL the info we spoke about earlier in the post and still claim transparency is key in your modus operandi.
But it continues with 
Collaboration and Transparency:
So, following the thought process from the previous paragraph, you can't say these things and then think you are doing a good work on establishing communication, transparency and a collaborative environment.
But
Before you claim it would continue, know that most Dapps couldn't endure paying for the expenses in order to run in that scenario.
So in effect, if this scenario would happen, and it may happen (we don't know since the info isn't covered by Ned's transparency policy), the blow would pretty much be fatal indeed.
Again, There's the Right to Deny... but...
So,
This is a good way to tell the community - Mind your own business.
But... when the community works to improve Steemit, Inc's products... things change...
and Ned starts talking about "We" again, rather than the INC VS. Community Dicotomy.
I Get It...
Ned, we get it, you aren't going to disclose and want us, the community, to understand we are totally not related to your company whatsoever and that we should mind our own business...
...but don't sell us a cat claiming it's a rabbit man!
That's 100% Alienating and you know it.
Besides, here we can see another expert Marketing Technique - Showing your company's Macro-Environment that you don't friggin care about them at all, and that they should just quiet down.
Because a company never ends well when it tells the equivalent to its customers that it doesn't care about them.
This Is What Happened:
You know what? People are lazy...
We hear about it in Marketing tons of times as it is the key for success in many things we do.
If you have 50M+ SP, why worry? Why not just site on top of it, dump it as needed and just rely on the community - which is TOTALLY not related to your business - do the hard work.
Read the coment and think about it, and then tell me if it wasn't this exactly what happened to some extent...
Even the Newbies See It:
Here's a newbie... rep 59 
"You can't rely on Speculation"
... speculation on Steem should have not been the primary funding strategy.
... speculation on SMTs should not become your plan B.
You need to increase cash flow...
How?
I could tell you bring in incentives to buy Steem for use, market steem in a way that attracts content consumers, stop marketing it like a Ponzi Scheme and more...
... but you know what would be cool? Hire someone who understands Marketing... and put the guy as CEO since you're at it.
Because... here it is, in conclusion:
Here's The Closing Statement:
Step One: Face your Shortcomings.
Step Two: Flag yourself for Self-Aggrandizement.
Step Three: Consider your Community More, Play Guitar Less.
Step Four: Find a CEO... you know... a real one.
Do us all a favor.
Cheers!
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