They probably can't. Every other business model they've tried hasn't worked. Their only other option is a buyout, and I can only assume Microsoft hasn't offered them enough money yet, because otherwise I assume that would have happened years ago.
No, you can also be profitable (or healthy) as-is and keep humming along.
In docker's case they are on the bankruptcy trajectory so now they have to make choices to change that trajectory (or select option 1 and go bankrupt).
It's missing: continue what we're doing since it working. My company already found a way to make money, we don't need to be bought and are far from bankrupcy.
That doesn't work for docker since they are on a decline and the business isn't sustainable as it is anymore. So they are on a bankruptcy trajectory already.
But what else is Docker to do? It feels like some companies should be bought out jointly by the tech giants and turned into charities since they have no business model but provide excellent value to the ecosystem that isn’t capturable.