They really should be running sustainable service for like tenth of that many employees... If even that. Most of the people don't care about them just the creators on their platform and less cut they take better for patrons or patronees.
My point is that pure tech-plays are relatively easy as far as headcount, right?
If we don't run a business then we're running a business of a single employee. You are your own employee with 100% concentration risk. All of your income depends on one employee (you) with 1 source of income. If you had a business with 1 single revenue stream, then you would really focus on the health of that stream (Patreon). If you look around and realize most people are coasting and you can't really point any specific action you've taken that's boosted the numbers then you need to start preparing for that client (Patreon) to end its deal with you.
I have, but it also publicized seven completely different business units. It is easier to reason about why what are effectively seven different businesses need so many employees. Each unit did not have all that many people, however. They would all be considered small businesses if the company broke up those business units into individual companies. Patreon, on the other hand, seems to have only one obvious business unit.
But also most haven't. Across most of the western world, 70% of workforce work for small businesses and in Asian markets that rises to 80%+. Medium-large businesses are unusual. The USA is a curious outlier where only around 40% of the workforce works for small businesses. Some HN accounts forget it’s a big world out there.
Every tech CEO was watching that closely, and it didn't come out in the workers favor.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-visited_websites
However, that doesn't answer why a company that wasn't what it used to be still needed so many people for so long.
You should talk to someone who works at Patreon. Or a larger creator on their platform.