Content is what keeps players involved.
What even is there without content?
Just read this Law and order will be served that right there is what makes Eve great and playable in the long run.
Grinding in various ways is content sure but it only gets you so far. I think a good way to explain it is that if the content is grindy in nature it comes to it being predictable and thus dull. Boring. Empty? Take mission running for example.
Sure there is time for various activities. Chill and easy mode and so on but in the long run. And Eve is for the long run. Not for everyone but then it isn’t about being involved anymore anyways. Within the years many of us take breaks or have the time to play once a week but they’re still keeping skill que up and running which kind of is ‘playing’ and being involved too because how skilling in Eve works.