>>55050197>putting in only just enough effort to stand out and not put enough efforts to leave a legacy behind - because you unconsciously feel that it would be a "waste" to do things in your current identity rather than do it when you reach Hololive, so that it leaves a bigger markYes. This is actually common in creative fields. You don't want to waste your precious ideas if they're not going to be fully realized. How different people resolve these creative conflicts is part of the challenge. Timing is always a factor too. Remember, Advent have known they're in for a while, maybe even before TotK's release date was confirmed.
As for your last questions, it's the difference between being Hollywood and being an indie star for most. By now it's plain to see that being a part of the box confers many advantages and even if you move on it's likely to be the zenith of your career as an entertainer (unless you're as ambitious as Kson). The scale and production is completely different and I think the gap is only going to get bigger. NijiJP can compete domestically but Hololive has stronger global reach. It would take Iinchou-level talents, maybe even several, for a small corpo to gain comparable clout.
It's not all doom and gloom though and it's not as dark as actual Hollywood. A lot of these streamers are probably happy enough where they're at or where they see themselves going, after all many can do it full time without needing the box. Not all of them need their likelihoods put into HoloEarth. Not all of them need huge 3D hologram concerts @ Budokan. I think even many members of the box find some of their projects superfluous. It's also not like you have to be a part of the box to have great things, too. VirtuaReal has great concerts and some Vsingers are tied to labels like proper artists (which they are).
tl;dr hollywood is cool but it's not everyone's goal even if it's fun to dream about