Was the World Wide Web developed primarily as a for-profit venture?

The World Wide Web was not developed primarily as a for-profit venture; rather, it originated as a project to facilitate research and sharing among scientists and academics. Tim Berners-Lee created the Web in the late 1980s and early 1990s while working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The initial aim was to improve information sharing between researchers and to make the vast amount of information generated by scientific research more accessible.

The structure and protocols of the Web, such as HTML and HTTP, were designed to be open and free for anyone to use. This open approach contributed significantly to the rapid growth and widespread adoption of the Web, allowing diverse individuals, institutions, and businesses to innovate and contribute to its development without the constraints of proprietary restrictions.

While commercialization of the Web did happen after its creation, with many companies emerging to capitalize on this new platform, the foundational development of the World Wide Web was driven by a desire for information sharing and collaboration rather than profit motives.