Ask HN: What will a Sustainable Business Model for the OLPC look like?

[Felix21]

Selling directly to countries and leaving it to them how to distribute might not prove the most sustainable solution long term.

In the vaccine business in the Third World one of the biggest problems is reselling subsidized vaccines to 2nd or First World countries.

Why not think of business models as innovative as the laptop itself?

A great product like this deserves it.

Could we leverage micro credits to make it affordable to families to buy it themselves in stead of giving it away?

Or monetize the cult status the machine now already has in western countries?

It would be a missed opportunity to limit the business model to selling to countries only and it will prove very beneficial to come up with a more creative and innovative solution for this space.

What are your ideas?

http://wiki.laptop.org/