This is a general problem with decentralized alternative platforms. There is no way for the creator to really profit massively out of their project. But there

This is a general problem with decentralized alternative platforms. There is no way for the creator to really profit massively out of their project. But there could still be economic incentives. For example, if GNU Taler succeeds as a payment system and manages to replace Visa, that could mean less fees for both customers and merchants which would be incentive enough for the merchants and customers to adopt the system. Basically you cannot think in terms of traditional business models. You need to think of it as a free software project that might potentially be a massive cost saving for enough people to adopt it.