They're telling you to pay or leave. I just don't get why you think it should be free - who is paying for it?

Because matrix is an open ecosystem, most companies that use it just deploy a server and then contribute nothing back to the spec (be it funding or code). Individuals seem to be in the same boat.

Like, I'm not trying to be dense, here - what is the correct path? Where is this money supposed to come from? (I'm genuinely not trying to incite an argument with this comment; I'm just passionate about the Matrix spec and am frustrated with the responses to this post)

And please don't give me the "user donations will be enough" drivel - I've been donating (a small amount) to the matrix foundation for years, even though I run my own server and don't rely on them for any infra, and know quite well how many users are with me in the lowest tier of contributors room. Spoiler: it's less than 300.