[logicallee]

See? Even if your totally out-there half-kidding, hypothetical, it's STILL a billion-dollar company. How would it not be? If the company you just described had everyone on it, it would be worth a billion. Or do you want it to be set up like a charity (like EFF?) Or run by the government?

I am having a lot of trouble imagining how your description is not worth a billion dollars, if everyone is on it. Even under the model you described.

[kspaans]

Heh, good point. No doubt having the user base is valuable. But if, hypothetically speaking, 100% of the profits are distributed to users what do the investors have to gain? The profits can't be paid to investors or used to buy back shares. (There are still questions about growth and corporate voting rights not addressed here.)

[logicallee]

you've just described a communist utopia. I think we can all agree that this wonderful pipe dream has not been proven to work at scale in practice. Theoretically it's a great idea of course, which is why a quarter of the world tried it.