The Hardware Ownership Paradox: When Sovereignty Gets Expensive
In my previous post about self-hosting for everyone, I painted a vision of managed self-hosting where anyone can own their data. But there’s an uncomfortable truth I glossed over: hardware costs money, and the economics are fundamentally different for businesses versus individuals. Let’s talk about the elephant in the server room. The Financial Reality When a business buys a €1,000 server, here’s what actually happens: Factor Business Individual VAT Deductible (€0 net) €210 lost Corporate tax benefit ~25% deduction (€197) None Write-off 5 years depreciation Just an expense Cash flow Business expense After-tax income Net cost ~€593 €1,000 A business effectively pays 40% less for the same hardware. But it gets worse. ...