It is a war of attrition here and as you said, those who have lasted have gone through the trials and evolved to be more resilient on average while the weak have been plucked. I say weak but it is not the case on skill but general attitude. The ones who survive here the best have been the versatile ones on average who are not dependent on one or two niches or feedback loops. Some only are here for price (gone) some are only here for reward (gone) some are only here for their own content sub-group (struggling/gone)... In time they will return as there will be a diverse range of infra and user base to support their needs but, that is not yet.

Why the people here are likely so interesting is that they are more likely more complex personalities that are less bound by their skillset and more unbounded in their interest areas and experience. At the moment, I really enjoy this place and have done for the last almost 2 years. In some way, despite all the disagreements and challenges, these are my type of people.

Sad. :D