Some of the people who have moved on, were also resistant to grow the community, market and reach our potential.

I think this is right. Hive's strategy of branding itself as focused on "the community" may be a double-edged sword for them, since it may end up looking even more insular and unwelcoming to new people than Steem already was.

If growth into the mainstream is the long-term goal, I think a big barrier is the general "is it a scam?" fear that many people feel about cryptocurrency. I think the bidbot era did a lot to make this place have a very scheme-y and scammy vibe. That was a culture thing, not a technology thing.