> I would desperately like Signal to have a commercial service offering you can pay for which would of offer the possibility of sustainment.
That will kill it even quicker. What does this look like? All users have to pay to have an account? Now you’ll have less users and miss out on network effects. If only some users have to pay, what do they get besides feel goods? Ad removal? They’re stuck, Signal must continue being free. So agreed, Signal has a finite lifespan
Realistically, if he steps down for any reason and someone decides they need to layer in ads to support it...that'll be the end.
I would desperately like Signal to have a commercial service offering you can pay for which would of offer the possibility of sustainment.