In the end The Foundation will be there to please those that pay and not to protect or advance the protocol.
I think this kind of critic doesn't stand.
There's nothing stopping people with deep pockets from financing developments that please them
right now. This organization per se won't make it easier or harder for them.
In the end, what matters is who people (=bitcoin users) trust. If well intended developers see the foundation has been bought by "an evil guy", they can simply leave it. Their reputation will leave with them.
The actual danger is not people buying up the organization. The actual danger is bitcoin users trusting this organization more than they should. The simple fact they don't accept anonymous memberships is already a reason to be wary, IMHO.
+1
To this we should add and never forget that at the moment there are ~6 billion (I think that is a low estimation) potential future bitcoin users who have yet to be introduced to bitcoin. One of the first points of contact with bitcoin will be TBF for them. If you have any doubts of the effect this can potentially have, look at what EFF causes. There are already quite some cases of merchants not accepting bitcoin simply because EFF sais it is problematic. Sure, they should read more than just that once source, but let's be honest: many won't. Just like many (I dare to state: the majority) people will never look further than what they read on TBF's website.
That is not a problem as long as TBF only does what is good for bitcoin. But no one can guarantee that, and the way it has been set up almost ensures that it won't, at some point in time.
If wé are are not critical on TBF and their actions, those 6 billion people sure won't be.