In my opinion it was until it became easy and "legal" to exchange dollars for in-game currency via Plex Passes. It not only creates the constant temptation to just buy your losses back rather than playing but lets you assign a dollar value to everything you do. I played for five years but I quit after I calculated I was grinding for $1.72/hr.

EVE absolutely has the potential for incredible experiences but that tainted the authenticity for me in a way I could never shake off.