upvote
1. Valve is a private company with a money printer (steam) 2. the point of these initiatives is to build an ecosystem with steam at the centre.

A better way to look at this is valve is trying to hedge it's self against microsoft. By creating an ecosystem of devices and software that's full open so they're not reliant on Microsoft. The goal of Valve hardware ISN'T to make money. It's to encourage others to build devices free of Microsoft that Steam can be installed on.

They have nothing to gain by being closed, and everything to gain by being open.

reply
They have an infinite money glitch in Steam, it hardly matters for them even if it makes a loss as long as it propagates the ecosystem.
reply
Valve is one of the most efficient (revenue/staff) corporations there is. Far more so than most tech companies even. If that's how you measure goodwill then it seems like it works.
reply
They have a money printer that gives them nearly unlimited flexibility. Being a private company means Gabe can do long-term investments without concern.

Steam has been an incredibly good steward of its position, but I fear for the day when capitalism finally sinks its claws into the platform.

reply
> capitalism finally sinks its claws

Capitalism has nothing to do with short term greed.

Some CEOs are just too arrogant and think that optimizing for the short term won't hurt goodwill. That's their own failure. Capitalism says nothing about how a business should be run. It's merely defining the idea that humans who own things (capital) allocate their resources and keep the result.

reply
Capitalism doesn't break things, it builds them. You're thinking of greed, which exists in all economic types.
reply
Unregulated capitalism breaks things for sure. That regulation can stem from government intervention or private ownership (or both).

Regulation can also break things if done incorrectly/poorly/inefficiently/corruptly.

reply