I’m ambivalent about a change or two. Overall I’m glad more countries are being included.

100 follower rule tells us something about the value of a piece and interest of readers.
But it’s not that big a change.

From what I gather, medium wants to homogenize the level of writing. Inclusivity works both ways.
As for claps, Ive read some pretty uninspiring pieces about trivia which get many claps. How does that reflect on quality of both writer and reader? Does it raise medium to a higher stature as a forum?
To me, at the moment, climate change and geopolitics are the burning issues of our times. Presenting analyses and solutions to an existential problems EVERY day is of the essence. It’s not clickbait. Does medium want us to go into denial and focus on fluff pieces like Barbie movie — who cares while the planet turns to hell?
Medium may be well-meaning but stories focusing on life experiences and ill-placed positivity don’t exactly fill someone like me with the urge to read more.
I’m a poet, I’ll continue to be a poet. Regardless of what mediums algorithms dictate. Poetry is poetry. I write for the love of it. And publish to share with those who are thus inclined. It’s never made me much money but my intention was not to make it into a livelihood. I’m grateful for my followers. Makes me happy.
For those writers whose livelihood depends on medium, the new algorithms suck. Their incomes must’ve been slashed substantially.