Or they consider wow a temporary amusement, I personally have a few goals (AOTC mostly) and once I reach them will either play alts or take a break till 9.1
The game doesn’t need to consume all of your time this is a much more casual MMO which allows people the opportunity to do other things with their free time. Shadowlands especially has allowed an ability to feel done with a character for the week (as advertised) sure there are options to push for a bit more gear but eventually there is a cap where you can take a break.