The staff seems to be intentionally skirting that question, which might mean that they are considering the idea but don't want to commit to a path on that.
That can be smarter than coming out and saying yes or no on it. If Steem removed the reward pool and SMTs don't perform well the chain is likely going to take such a hard hit to its reputation that it might never recover. On the other hand, if SMTs perform very well, and it seems like removing the STEEM reward pool is a viable path, then it could be a good thing.
Long term, Steem likely needs to remove the reward pool, but doing it too soon can be dangerous.