I Quit My Job to Live on Donations to Zig (2018)

Financial risk relative to what?

Startups vanish for a million reasons, up to and including spending investor cash on hookers and blow.

Fortune 500 companies will do layoffs just because the stock price is down on a given day.

I do not understand your comment. If he were rich, then he would not be living on donations.

I think Zig is awesome, btw. Andrew deserves to make a lot more money.

They're either risking their livelihood or they aren't

Not risky at all. If it fails he can just get a job. Good developers are always in demand.