You're torturing the metaphor. But OSS development on large important projects is now almost completely subsidized by the big and small companies that use it fo

You're torturing the metaphor. But OSS development on large important projects is now almost completely subsidized by the big and small companies that use it for their own ends and contribute much of their work back to the common good. So the companies that make use of it in the biggest ways do pay for it, but that effort and money contributes to a common that others can use (for only the cost of time in hobbyist cases).