Most people understand spreadsheets, as they can see all the pieces therein.

Most people do not understand databases.
As they can't see how it is structured.
You can't see it on the screen, you have to see it in your mind.

And a distributed database is even worse. Most people have no idea of the complexity of a central database. They have even less of an idea about a database that is being run on a bunch of servers.

The gossiping algorithms go over most people's heads, and that is the easy part to understand.

And, as you said, most people do not care, they just want to use it.
Whatever f-c-book is doing is fine, as long as they don't start censoring what i see and type.