@cuchaz Those are all valid concerns and have been raised many times. There are answers but if your mind is made up I won't go into them.
When I became interested in this it was 2014, post Bitcoin, pre understanding downsides, scams. I looked into two projects, Ethereum (rejected because they put no limit on their fundraiser - doh!) and MaidSafe, which I liked because of the founder, whose ideas, manner, values etc were and still are all right on.