There is also to consider how many of those who use blender succeed in one way or another in monetizing their work.
Most individuals, who are not a studio of more people or a company, can afford to render images or small videos, and most do it as a hobby and not to monetize their work.
And even if there is the will and generosity to support, they simply cannot afford too much.
The situation I believe and hope will change significantly when CAD and precision modeling tools will be implemented in blender. Then people will be able to materialize their work in many ways and in doing so will consequently be able to monetize them, with the construction of new inventions of all kinds. I hypothesize and I very much hope that a new steam-powered machinery 800’s period will return to modern form. I also hope that in one way or another a new age of hardware opensource becomes established (Risc-V derivatives)
This new historical period will be made of sharing works projects that people can 3D print and assemble in their garages or special centers for this type of projects. From electric cars to new-generation appliances to the most varied utilities. I hope there will be no more use of disposable consumption. no more rubbish and pollution, because everything will be considered recyclable as a raw material.
And many trades will return in modern form, because the culture of repairing things will return and no longer this thirty-year period of total waste will come back. I saw a video, from the singularity university, which showed how “in a garage” they were able to build a car in a few days, this by adopting at the design level the smallest number of pieces to be assembled thanks also to 3d printing. This method exponentially reduces costs, lead times and workforce, and we are talking about a whole functioning car.
This is the video. Disrupting An Entire Industry | Jay Rogers | Exponential Manufacturing