For the record, many many people have EXACTLY this reaction to the GSL. WotC could not have drawn a more clear line in the sand.
If there is an "us vs them" attitude, it should be between Paizo and WotC. The consumers, meaning you and me, choose which system to play and support. We don't need to have the "us vs them" attitude flowing down to the people who support the hobby of RPG's which, whether you mean to or not, seem to quite often be reflected in your posts.
Anyways, on topic -
If I were CEO, I would do two things:
1 - Have an AP focus on what it does for the entirely of its adventure.
James has replied that they are using player feedback to work out kinks in their APs which is great, however, the biggest thing is that they ALWAYS stray from the focus of the AP. Stick with the focus. If its a town adventures stay in town. If its a travelling adventure, then planar hopping is OK. If its about building a nation, the AP should entirely be in that nation. Keep using the hook that draws people into the AP and it should be even more successful. Constantly leave the hook behind for a module or two and of course people will be disappointed.
2 - Design an AP where the PCs drive the plot for a change (perhaps Kingmaker will be along these lines).
The APs have great stories but all the APs are essentially one thing. Heavy story with deep backgrounds for the bad guys. This is fantastic but its not the end all be all. Modules like Keep on the Borderlands are classic for a reason. The sandbox, while still incorporating some story, is something that appeals to many people. With WotC now doing the Chaos Scar which is essentially a 4E update to the Keep on the Borderlands this has a lot of people excited. There is no reason why Paizo couldn't do the same, and likely do it far better.