The problem is that those receiving the tips will continue to expect them no matter how high their wage is. Some would even argue that they get overall lower income if the increase in base wage eliminates tipping.

Let’s also acknowledge that nobody should work for free so if you truly support Memmy/Lemmy, put your money when your mouth is.

Of course you can, as an individual hobby project, or a small team project.

Founders are the most motivated, usually not by money initially. As the thing grows and needs more attention than a single founder can provide, convincing others to be just as invested is going to require some form of motivation and money being the proxy that can get us the most things we need to live our lives, usually ends up the most efficient incentive and motivator.