If nostr "fails" it still won't have been time wasted, so I agree with you. I'm mostly talking about the tendency fixate on current user numbers, as if that has anything to do with the eventual usefulness of the technology. I was here when it was all just devs building a thing and no one else cared. My motivation hasn't changed since then, and won't change unless and until either 1. someone comes up with a better solution, or 2. the benefits of social media prove to be outweighed by the negative externalities, even when decoupled from centralized control and incentives.