I absolutely agree with every point you have made.

I agree it could help with retention, but unless the curation rewards system is revamped, there will be no incentive to discover new authors. If I dogpile onto a post that gets hit by a whale, I am guaranteed curation rewards. There is zero incentive or reward for finding brilliant, new authors who have something incredible to offer.

While the UX (User Experience) part of he site absolutely needs to be dealt with, it will not have the substantive effect that rethinking the rewards will. I will deal with a shitty platform if I am gaining recognition and rewards. Consequently it can be the most beautiful user experience which shows me just how badly I am not gaining traction.