It being his only source of income doesn't make it profitable. In fact, that's the whole point of calculating P&L. If the site + Patreon gross $n per month, and he spends $n per month, that's not profit.
In fact, for the number of times he's had to run fundraisers for various site related things (e.g. server hosting, upgrades etc), it was already clear that it wasn't "profitable".
And no, SA isn't - and never was - his only source of income. That people think he's been forthcoming is the most hilarious part of all what's going on. It's complete bs - and only his tax returns and the site's P&L ledger (if there is one) would have the answers.
My guess is that the buyer has a good idea of what the site makes or he wouldn't have settled on buying it for a low sum as $150K.
If the site brings in $n per month and he spends $n per month on booze, pies, hookers and coke, those are personal expenses and don't affect the company profits ie income on your taxes. LowT hosts fundraisers for site things because he blows all the profit on booze, pies, hookers and coke and doesn't have any left to put back into the business (and then proceeds to spend the donation money on booze, pies, hookers and coke and that doesn't go into the business either).
You're right that we don't have the real numbers and we won't get them, but even with him doing nothing, there's no reason that site registrations and other monetized parts of the forums minus server costs and other business expenses wouldn't turn a profit, even today.
The rest of your previous post was 100% correct, but yeah by any metric SA has been insanely profitable over the years man. I recall Lowtax would toss money around like 20,000$ donations to the fuckin BBB and then when asked what the fuck just go "hey it's a cause I like".
Lowtax is a creature of pure sloth and malice who lucked into a free piggy bank that's kept him in pills and wine and expensive Japanese sports cars for the last 20 years. Now that piggy bank has cut its metaphorical Richard off and is now a beautiful woman.
E: " In fact, for the number of times he's had to run fundraisers for various site related things (e.g. server hosting, upgrades etc), it was already clear that it wasn't "profitable". "
Those weren't "fundraisers" they were straight up scams lol
However, those large donations to 501(c) orgs DO subtract from company profit ie income on your taxes. However, Derek is still giving LowT too much credit (even though he thinks it's the opposite) by saying that the site has "never been profitable" because if LowT did know how to spend company money in a way that shows no profit (like Amazon, GE, other big name companies that legally pay no income tax) then he wouldn't owe any taxes at all, and he does in fact have tax liens totalling well over $100k.
Lowtax spends all the company profits on bullshit for himself, does the bare minimum to keep the site active including not paying the writers (another business deduction that would actually help him), pays rent at his house, child support and tax liens garnished, and then has nothing left to upgrade anything at the business (which would lower profits) or to pay his taxes.
LowT could easily do what Derek is saying, but he doesn't. He's not a smart, forward-thinking guy. He's an addict. Not paying your taxes works for several years until you get caught, so he did that and blew every single bit on his habits and complains that he's always been poor and has no money, when what we do have as public record (goons even dug up the lease on his current car, it's real) shows otherwise. He has/makes plenty of money, he just disappears all of it.
