Blockfrost's transformation to not-for-profit

On-chain governance action (Treasury Withdrawals).

Blockfrost is a reliable way for developers to interact with the chain without running their own infrastructure or node. This proposal transitions Blockfrost into a free, community-governed public good, owned by the people who build on it where the Blockfrost source code, trademarks, and domains are transferred into community stewardship under an independent, community-governed not-for-profit. It funds a 18-month transition and operations into community ownership.

Total ask: ₳9,832,979 ($1,868,266 at $0.19/₳).

• Proposer return address: stake1uy7ucfwsxtv36lz2drg4nw538xswshmg9pw8h2yzqd4qrzgzhyrsg
• Deposit: 100,000 ₳
• Submitted: epoch 639
• Expires: epoch 646

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Following clarification regarding the allocation of funds, I will reassess my vote. I am changing my vote from affirmative to negative due to the lack of clarity surrounding Blockfrost's ownership, management, and decision-making processes.

While I accept that Blockfrost currently has a vital role in the ecosystem, I see the proposal as an expensive shakedown that feels too close to economic blackmail. I can accept that the team can't continue what has been the previous situation, and if the proposal was priced with salaries which reflected a sense of shared going through tough times, I would have been more lenient. As it is, it sits with me as a shakedown, and the only rational move when someone shakes you down is take the pain and say no. Doing anything else simply further encourages bad behavior.

Our current governance is not fit for purpose to handle the rigors of negotiations with vendors, and when vendors look to capitalize on that obvious fact to their advantage I have to fight against it. This smells of a cash-grab, and for that reason I resist it.