That last link has the word "bptumblr" in their Amazon EC3 link. If you Google that term, you get a bunch of porn sites. That might explain their popularity in random bars and early profitability :-)
my understanding was that they funded the people as much as the idea. i doubt the fact that a bunch of smart people were doing something cool with - shock - boobies would stop him.
Believe me, I've worked in and with the industry for years and it is ripe for a breakthrough. I actually was working on a project at a porn company that had the potential to disrupt the porn industry but was abandoned due to internal political reasons. If pg wanted me to build it again, I'd be all over it.