True, but in order for Hive to reach Instagram/Facebook volume sharding might be necessary anyway, right?

I'd like to see 63 consensus witnesses via a "beacon chain" (rip from Ethereum) and two shards. In my opinion, DPoS is outdated and we should look at other projects to improve upon it. Validators being required to stake the coin at risk of being slashed is an improvement upon DPoS. That's how Loom works now, with their DPoS chain.

Do you know if the Steemit Inc. devs still plan to develop a new social blockchain or did Hive kill that project?