[tromp]

> In the proof-of-work model, a few folks make a lot of money

That's more a consequence of the poor emission curves that were chosen in the past. Practically no-one has made money on a linear emission PoW coin.

> These folks then go and buy shares in a mining pool using the PoW coin.

The mining pool sharing business is fraught with scams. Most bona fide pools require miners to operate their own rigs.

[arcticbull]

If it's a currency they can earn it in a variety of ways. Money has intrinsic economy of scale and pools all by itself.