Brion Vibber wrote:
It's cool that they're riding high on the
Google wave, but it's also a
precarious position; if Google pulled out, they'd lose almost all their
revenue. Maybe Google's Not Evil and that's no problem, but maybe
they'll change their mind, or lose interest, or try to throw their
weight around, and it'll be harder to find an alternate source of
funding once they're so invested in that one.
Wikimedia has so far maintained a serious commitment to remaining
independent, with a diverse donor base.
It has to do with the importance of diversification. I've seen it
happen where people have been convinced by a fast talker to mortgage
their home to invest in a risky venture, or in the organized thievery of
the futures market. They are surprised and completely unawares when
their investment fails, but they still owe the mortgage when they were
otherwise ready for retirement.
It's just as bad to depend on one single source of finance. A small
business that depends almost exclusively on one source of revenue is
vulnerable that way. Any sudden withdrawal of such a funding source for
whatever reason could have serious effects on core operations. There is
no indication whatsoever that Google is about to collapse into
bankruptcy. If they were, would they warn us?
Ec