Why is so much of the internet's infrastructure run by volunteers?

[bobvanluijt]

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/04/23/why-is-so-much-of-the-internets-infrastructure-run-by-volunteers

[bediger4000]

The nature of software allows and encourages firms to externalize the costs. Software is almost exclusively sunk cost to develop, reproducing it is virtually free, in the absence of state supported Intellectual Property regimes.