Good on them. Medium is Tumblr for people who are a bit too mature for purple hair and Steven Universe. The social currency earned through Medium can't be reliably exchanged for anything that matters.
I literally have no idea what you are banging on about; Medium appears to be a simple blogging site, and that's about the extent of it. I think you've probably just projected any other attributes you perceive.
Both Medium and Tumblr are simple blogging sites the way the popular kids' table at the cafeteria is a simple table. Both have a secondary function as markets for whuffie among a certain crowd, and it's that function which distinguishes them from other blog platforms. That's what I was getting at.