So why should someone use WordPress, knowing one person with enormous conflicts of interest determines which companies are allowed to host it?

A pity. But I guess people now know that wordpress.org and The Wordpress Foundation are subordinate to the aims and profits of Automattic and yourself.

You want to make your pick while you seemingly still have options open, unless you'd rather go down with the ship.

You've proven yourself to be too much of a central point of failure and the longer this position is maintained, the more risk-conscious customers will feel forced to start thinking about their options.