How can someone get so close to seeing the problem and not take the final logical step?

If your app is just addictive adtech, it has no moral, political, or even economic right to exist.

Once upon a time apps provided useful services. Many still do.

But the gamification/addiction plague is an absolute horror and needs to be shut down. It's the psychological equivalent of tobacco, alcohol, opioid, sugar, oil, and money addiction.

All of these things are incredibly toxic and cause astounding levels of social and individual harm.

"But money..." is the least credible argument for any of them.