I wasn't around to experience this Golden Age of lit on Medium. I've always believed that weren't at the forefront, and perhaps this is why I'm so confused as to the levels of upset I've seen lately. The syndicated stories at the top of my page don't particularly bother me, I might read one if I'm interested, or simply go down a little to see the stories from "my" people.

I understand what you're saying, and I can understand how disappointing that must feel if you were expecting an upward trend.