David, do you have experience managing a fully distributed organization with offices and staff concentrations spread around the world? If so, can you outline how you resolved the various challenges (HR, coordination between teams and managers, effective oversight and mission management, insurance and liability, language barriers, etc.) such that you realized a major benefits in proportion with the costs and headaches?
While the WMF may not have an easy time of hiring developers, I haven't heard that many engineering slots are going unfilled because of a complete inability to recruit. So while you are addressing the challenges associated with your proposed model, could you outline the specific benefits you think would accrue? Would engineering outcomes be better with eng and product teams spread out around the world, in different timezones and speaking different languages? Would the cost of talent be drastically lower, and allow the WMF to hire many more engineers and thus significantly increase the pace of development? If you think these things are true, can you explain why?
If it sounds like I'm shifting the burden of justifying such a move back to you, I am. It seems more reasonable than expecting WMF leadership to rebut the proposition before anyone has truly outlined its value.