>the lay public is hilariously misinformed about this

Ironic for a scientist to rail on anecdotally and off topic about a problem they play the much larger role in deciding the fate of.

Knowledge of science among the general public let alone of how this sausage factory works is however unfortunate, not the key to fixing the problem.

There are a handful of different key roles and interests competing to influence the outcome. Researchers, universities, publishers, for profit businesses, etc.

It’s not that complicated. There’s the logistics, economics, and best guess modeling of any proposed changes.

Then separate from these technicalities people everyday are making value judgements and prioritizing principles against personal interests.

I’m not trying to advocate my opinion here in a comment of what these stakeholders should do. Only that these individual decisions, judgements, and will to act on them play a far greater role than public knowledge of who gets paid to review a paper.