- Ubuntu: Subsidized by Mark Shuttleworths personal fortune.
- Firefox: Most all revenue is in the form of indulgences from Google.
- RaspPi: Broadcom sockpuppet.
- Wikipedia: OK, can't argue with this one.
- Bitcoin: Money laundering, pyramid schemes and currency speculation can hardly be called an 'open source project' IMO.
I agree with Bitcoin being used for shady stuff, but could you explain how it's used for money laundering? My understanding of money laundering is a process of making shady money look less shady. Putting it through anything in Bitcoin will make it look more shady, won't it?
I think the chance that a commercial company is going to spin off into a community-driven non-profit is pretty low. Or at least their chance of success is going to be low. The examples you gave built up their communities over time.