If you had asked your friends to get a Matrix client instead (eg. Element), at least you'd be able to move to a new client [2] if you didn't like the direction it moved in - and you'd still have your group chats and keep your contacts because it's federated.
Unfortunately you're now stuck with stories (or maybe crypto payments one day [3]) because Signal doesn't federate, and likely never will, and the amount of effort to ask your friends to move _again_ is just too big.
This is _exactly_ the argument I make when friends ask why Matrix over Signal. I'm exhausted of picking up and moving again.
[1]: https://signal.org/blog/the-ecosystem-is-moving/ [2]: https://matrix.org/clients/ [3]: https://www.xda-developers.com/signal-crypto-payments-featur...