Notch, for better or worse, was an idealistic symbol of anti-establishmentarianism, most famously when he declared that Mojang wouldn't be developing Minecraft for Facebook after oculus sold out to them, even though the financial incentives were obviously greatly enhanced by such an acquisition, which was going to accelerate development of VR as a platform, particularly with Minecraft sitting right in the nexus of Social/Gaming. He stood on principals, rather than align him self conceptually or monetarily with (what he perceived) to be Oculus selling out.
But, there comes a point, when everyone says, "You know what - pay me enough money and you can do anything you want with my greatest creation."
Would Sartre have been willing use his voice, his writing, and his intellectual heft to support various bourgeois position for $2B, knowing that he could have used that money to support the "concrete" freedoms for so many people in so many places? He was tortured by turning down 250,000 crowns (around $2mm in current dollars?)
Of course, the contrary position to this is that what Sartre did not want to sacrifice was his freedom to not be associated with any one political body, so that his writing would in no way be restrained by anything other than his intellect; and Notch, in selling Mojang to Microsoft, gave up none of his independence, and in no way became associated with Microsoft (indeed, he immediately left the company upon acquisition). Watch Notch did was the intellectual equivalent of Sartre selling the copyrights of one his books to someone wanting to buy them, nothing more.
The knowledge that you are able to turn down a large sum of money is one thing that you cannot put a price on, and in a certain frame of mind, if the price is then increased, the situation only gets funnier.
But, there comes a point, when everyone says, "You know what - pay me enough money and you can do anything you want with my greatest creation."
Would Sartre have been willing use his voice, his writing, and his intellectual heft to support various bourgeois position for $2B, knowing that he could have used that money to support the "concrete" freedoms for so many people in so many places? He was tortured by turning down 250,000 crowns (around $2mm in current dollars?)
Of course, the contrary position to this is that what Sartre did not want to sacrifice was his freedom to not be associated with any one political body, so that his writing would in no way be restrained by anything other than his intellect; and Notch, in selling Mojang to Microsoft, gave up none of his independence, and in no way became associated with Microsoft (indeed, he immediately left the company upon acquisition). Watch Notch did was the intellectual equivalent of Sartre selling the copyrights of one his books to someone wanting to buy them, nothing more.