I disagree with this characterisation. Gitlab is losing money. They do need the capital. While it's true sometimes shareholder interests can lead to the users

I disagree with this characterisation. Gitlab is losing money. They do need the capital. While it's true sometimes shareholder interests can lead to the users getting screwed, that's a very short term and dangerous game to play. It's the equivalent of killing the Golden Goose. Companies that play that game may find themselves out of business in short order. They're opening opportunities for the competition.