They use the Microsoft stack, so they'd have to buy more licenses if they scaled horizontally.
Yes, it raised quite a few eyebrows when they announced this decision.
Yes, it raised quite a few eyebrows when they announced this decision.
No it didn't, except for people that seem to raise eyebrows regardless of what they read.
Depending on your license procurement model (SPLA, Retail, OEM, OVA) you are usually paying for server software on a per-cores basis. Some products (included most mentioned) have a scale tipping point where they become more flexible (DC licensing).