Hi Joe, my dear friend, Mike is not cynical at all as he is a senior editor of my publications dealign with countless unethical writers who spammed this platform with AI-crap. Mike is as diverse and inclusive as you and I. He even wrote a story the day when Medium announced 77 countries dedicating to his mates from these countries. Mike supports writers from these countries on on Slack workspace dailly donating his precious time. He also donates all his income to my new initiative on Substack to empower new writers as a founding member. Please check out this story which I wrote from the heart that might give you a broader perspective. https://medium.com/illumination/how-to-gain-169k-followers-6k-in-3-months-on-medium-even-as-an-absolute-beginner-as-a-teenager-e6918fa11031