You just nailed it. I saw your comment after posting this, and you obviously understand what I'm driving at. I think the concept of decentralization is largely absent in most new projects at the managerial and operational levels. That's why, beyond Bitcoin and Monero, I hardly take most so-called blockchain projects seriously.
Between decentralization and profit, I believe most people will choose profit over concerns about privacy, anonymity...What is the use of remaining anonymous or private when we have no money? So, you don't need to be disappointed with today's altcoins as they no longer retain the decentralized nature that bitcoin introduced as it is not something that is top of mind for everyone.
But luckily we still have bitcoin and it still retains its decentralized nature so if you like and care a lot about decentralization then you can stick with bitcoin and don't bother with altcoins. As long as bitcoin exists, the concept of decentralization will never go away.