Very interesting read.
I have been on Steemit for about 4 months too, my growth had been fairly organic and I think you hit the nail on the head for expected returns for the organic growth path.

The one great part about the organic growth is the opportunity you get to develop you're skills as a writer. If your in this for the long haul I think this is a brilliant place to work your apprenticeship as a blogger, writer and curator. I am not a particular fan of bots as I don't believe they can seek out good content. Their algorithms are no replacement for real people. On the other hand curation guilds are a great idea and I am in favour of them.