I get the sense this is true, and it's often stated as fact, but I'm not sure it is. If the reason we can't get consensus upgrades done now is that our "leadership" doesn't want them (which is how the essay started), then it's not bitcoin's popularity preventing upgrades.

Both could be true, less leadership or greater adoption make bitcoin harder to change, but if it's simply a lack of leadership, then there's some hope we'll get upgrades no matter how long we wait and not matter the level of adoption.