[mbar84]

My hypothesis about open source is that it's all about tax evasion. I can write some software for others to use, not charge them anything and thus no tax liability is generated. If they do the same, we've generated value for each other without the tax man getting a cut.

[bee_rider]

Couldn’t businesses just collaborate on closed source projects (source is open only to project members) and then not charge each other.

Lots of open source programs (IMO, pretty much all the good ones) grow organically out of community efforts or out of academic projects.