I’m a PF2e fan who came from PF1e (we do exist!), and one of my favorite parts is that there aren’t really any unviable build options, from either a player side or a GM side. Sure, there are combinations that are more optimal than others, but a player’s going to be able to have fun and contribute meaningfully with just about any ancestry/class combination. And since the encounter math actually works, pretty much any mathematically-correct combination of monsters a GM throws at a party will probably present the desired challenge.
So, yes! Agreed.
Agreed about Paizo. Actually I worry that the fact they are so particularly-sized meant that they took a bigger-than-usual hit from the Diamond thing; they’re big enough that a substantial chunk of their business was probably FLGS business, meaning that it went through Diamond: a smaller company like Kobold Press potentially does more direct-to-consumer sales, while WotC is big enough to handle their own distribution.
I don’t know any of that, mind. Just a bunch of guesses.