Or, put another way, there were likely a confluence of factors that led to security/surveillance (ostensibly) being the "straw that broke the camel's back"—the

Or, put another way, there were likely a confluence of factors that led to security/surveillance (ostensibly) being the "straw that broke the camel's back"—the latest development that took the risk/reward level over the owner's threshold. How close they were to that threshold anyway, what other factors were in play, whether the perceived threat was evaluated realistically, and other questions are reasonable to ask. I hadn't heard of Lavabit before they shuttered themselves. I had visited Grokalaw on several occasions (often via HN), but have no idea of its profitability or alignment with its authors goals.