So Alcor runs at a loss and doesn’t actually freeze that many people because it can’t afford to?
This seems extremely misleading. Unless I’m very much mistaken, Alcor cryopreserves every one of its members upon their legal death to the absolute best of its ability, as indeed they are contractually obligated to do. They even now have an arrangement with Suspended Animation so that an SA team can provide SST (standby, stabilization, and transport) in cases where Alcor cannot easily get there in time. (SA is a for-profit company founded to provide exactly this type of service; they also have a working relationship with Cryonics Institute of a different sort.)
To my understanding, Alcor runs at a “loss” (in quotes because donations are just as much a source of revenue as membership and cryopreservation fees) for similar reasons that any small-but-growing business would: because growth is the best way to ensure long-term stability, and keeping the price of cryopreservation as low as possible given the other constraints promotes growth.
Finally, I think it’s worth mentioning Alcor created the Patient Care Trust fund and gave it legal independence specifically to prevent funds from being usurped that are intended to go toward the care and eventual resuscitation of Alcor’s patients, regardless of Alcor’s future financial situation. Even if Alcor collapses financially, these funds are contractually mandated to be used toward protecting Alcor’s patients, and maximizing their continued chances of being successfully revived (for example, by transferring them to another cryonics organization).
This seems extremely misleading. Unless I’m very much mistaken, Alcor cryopreserves every one of its members upon their legal death to the absolute best of its ability, as indeed they are contractually obligated to do. They even now have an arrangement with Suspended Animation so that an SA team can provide SST (standby, stabilization, and transport) in cases where Alcor cannot easily get there in time. (SA is a for-profit company founded to provide exactly this type of service; they also have a working relationship with Cryonics Institute of a different sort.)
To my understanding, Alcor runs at a “loss” (in quotes because donations are just as much a source of revenue as membership and cryopreservation fees) for similar reasons that any small-but-growing business would: because growth is the best way to ensure long-term stability, and keeping the price of cryopreservation as low as possible given the other constraints promotes growth.
Finally, I think it’s worth mentioning Alcor created the Patient Care Trust fund and gave it legal independence specifically to prevent funds from being usurped that are intended to go toward the care and eventual resuscitation of Alcor’s patients, regardless of Alcor’s future financial situation. Even if Alcor collapses financially, these funds are contractually mandated to be used toward protecting Alcor’s patients, and maximizing their continued chances of being successfully revived (for example, by transferring them to another cryonics organization).