If it’s True, @Buster, is point 1 good for Medium? It’s contrary to your comment above. If it’s True, then the algorithm should be adjusted as it’s undermining Medium in the long run.

Point 2 is good to know by the way, thanks Peng!

However, even if Point 2 is True, it will degrade the quality of the articles, as many important supporting materials will be missing when I try to remove the external links from the first few paragraphs.