I think this misses the point of org-mode. Markdown is even one of its outputs. Org-mode lets you write in an environment that is aware of the semantic meaning

I think this misses the point of org-mode. Markdown is even one of its outputs. Org-mode lets you write in an environment that is aware of the semantic meaning and structure of your content, from headlines, latex, diagrams and lists to blocks that can execute code or make web requests, tables that can have spreadsheet calculations not to mention the time tracking features. I can understand wanting a simpler text format to focus on writing, but there are many editing tasks such as writing a blog or making project and study notes that really benefit from a more capable environment.