The devs that feel this way don’t seem to understand that a half-finished product is worth nothing to customers, but a finished one can be worth a lot

Someone willing to bet that an unfinished product will be worth a lot when it’s finished is actually taking risk and putting skin in the game, and they deserve to be rewarded for being right (so that they can keep making good bets)

Something something free market capitalism 

 Nailed it. And that’s not to say looking for investors/grants/funding along the way is inherently bad, but it’s got to be part of a larger business plan for eventually generating revenue a d becoming profitable, and that will take time and odds are they’ll fail just like most other business startups. 

 100% - you should really always find someone else’s money to build with. Someone else giving you money is critical feedback that your product could be viable. You just have to offer them something in return (ROI) and make their investment be part of a plan to someday be self-sustaining