Yeah, I realize that my position goes against the grain in a rather extreme way. But I think that as time goes on it'll become obvious that some problems just can't be solved in a way that culminates in a windfall, and if we leave those problems unaddressed we're doomed anyway.

Alternatively, maybe I'm wrong and some business genius figures out how to monetize the necessary work after all. Who are they gonna invest in, the guy who has been working at it for years even though maybe he'll die a pauper, or the guy who hasn't started because he can't see the payoff yet?