Hey Curious,
I was just thinking the same thing a few moments ago. Back in the day the users got regular communication from the Lindens about what they were working on, what they thought was important, exciting or just a big challenge. It made it seem like the whole SL thing was something bigger, something we were part of, rather than just a "user base".
Granted, they took a lotta flak from us, as well as occasional praise, but they also knew that the users were passionate about what they did, and that has to make anyone at the lab care more. In other words, I think their lack of regular communication hurts them at least as much as us. Back in the day people could actually name some Lindens, because we heard their voices.
A return to some regular communication might do a lot to make SL a better place for everyone.
Robin