There is no profit in it. Of course someone like Gates or Bezos could support a SciHub hundreds of years into the future, but they will avoid the inevitable con

There is no profit in it. Of course someone like Gates or Bezos could support a SciHub hundreds of years into the future, but they will avoid the inevitable controversy that will come attached. Rich people will play it safe. The poor can't afford the pennies. So ultimately it falls on to a few middle-class activists and concerned people all over the world. Ethically SciHub (or the idea behind it) is on much firmer ground than say PirateBay, but investors want no controversy, unless it is religious or political. I bet a "SciHub" devoted to political or religious articles will find backers despite being more controversial. People can be worked into passion for lots of things but not science and abstract philosophical ideas. That is largely why the FSF continues to barely cling to life.