SC is still pretty awful I agree but they are heading in the right direction. I don't think it will be finished until Chris Roberts steps down and sells the company to a publisher like he did with Freelancer. Once the publisher gets a hold of it they will fix the game to make it playable just like Freelancer.
I'm not excited for the update. I was excited for Horizons and was in awe the first few times I landed and explored. That momentum faded very, very quickly. You're right, you don't have to grind in the game, that just means you are not involved in power play, or advancing your income, or will have access to the best ships. I see those who do not grind to be the ones who play in solo or MOBIUS.
Frontier really needs to cut the cord on private and solo affecting the actual universe. It needs to be wholly separate. Only open needs to affect the outcomes of the persistent universe.