This is fascinating from a startup funding point of view, especially the rather bracing bluntness in the last paragraph ("Are they going to fuck things up?").
"This team of several dozen engineers, scientists, and wackos have helped farmers figure out when to fertilize and plant crops"
What was this ag project of theirs that you mention in your blog post? I can't find anything. Sounds pretty interesting.
I would think with a one time purchase each user becomes increasingly unprofitable (until they eventually reach a negative LTV) and the operation becomes untenable. Does Forecast.io monetize in ways other than the Dark Sky app? (I admit only being vaguely aware of them as a non iPhone user)
(And to answer your other question: Forecast.io makes some money, but not much. And we do have an increasingly large revenue stream in our data API)
I'd be thrilled to talk about your data API and forecast tech, especially if you're considering working with phone sensors to improve your forecast models. I'm jacob@cumulonimbus.ca, have a look at http://pressurenet.io if you're interested.
Thanks for building great products and writing great posts!