Not being a dev but familiar with both protocols and communities, I feel they are good observations. Monero community seems to remain principled in its ethos, many goals are shared and I'm fairly convinced that its organic growth has fostered a certain degree of decentralisation.

Call it first mover advantage or a critcal junture of path-dependence, Bitcoin has survived and value grows from its inherent resiliance. Clearly simplicity is key (it is what it is because of what it is) and the success of 'the rest' rests largely on the success of their predecessor. Lightning now seems to be leading, building on top.

Concerns to centrailzation of mining are well-founded and resonate. In terms of fungibility, this is really a non-argument IMO, if sats are stolen, there's no rolling back, no forking, this is the name of the game. We all know. Failing sharp developments in quantum computing (at the practical level) algorithmic protection is far ahead of online banking and ample security. Custodial services will also grow.

When taking into account adoption wth the user, industry, community and population level, Bitcoin is hope and protocols existing further down the block-timescale of Bitcoin may or may not develop and cross-pollinate. Ultimately markets will decide.

Neutrino backends seem to work quite well for db size on LN.