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[Ray Saintonge]

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