I'm not surprised org-roam isn't going viral (and actually it is, within the population of org mode users!). I'm surprised you can make a startup out of a single, simple idea that is automatically tracking backlinks.
To borrow a phrase from discussions around Dropbox, this most definitely is a feature, not a product.
It's definitely just a feature - but a very liberating one. Not having to worry so much about how you organize your files and where to put stuff is such a relief.
But I think it's too early to call roam, the startup, a success. It has some mindshare, but the product has no defensibility. It's not that complex. A competent developer can probably build a clone of Roam in 1-2 months of full-time work. A lot of copycats have started already and I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years it's not Roam that has won but just another copycat that had a better UI. Kind of reminds of how Slack killed that other app before it... was it... hipchat?
I tried it and loved it but the pricing model and fact that it is hosted made me stop using it. I have nothing against either choice, they are just not right for me.
The takeout option lets you download a copy of your files at any time but they also often have sync issues, etc. As far as I can tell, they make heavy use of local browser storage which syncs to a cloud back up. People keep seeing data loss (or did when I stopped following them) when this connection fails. Is it growing pains? Yes, probably. Is it right for me when this risk can lead to data loss and not just a conflict resolution process? No.
I do wish them luck and am looking forward to the various local clones getting better (org-roam, Obsidian, etc... no shortage).
I've been using it daily for a few months and haven't had a single issue. Perhaps the server load also went down when they introduced the pricing. I do download my data every few days or so just in case.
Personally I'm not a fan of the company, culture, and the cult-like following Roam has. I hope somebody else succeeds and takes over the market and I'll move there. But so far roam is the best life/knowledge management app I've used, and I've tried a lot of them.
To borrow a phrase from discussions around Dropbox, this most definitely is a feature, not a product.