Hi, I'm the founder of Docker. The decision to launch Docker Desktop, and deprecate Docker Machine, had nothing to do with revenue. Desktop was free when we launched it in 2016, and it remained free until 2021. By then Docker had a new CEO, a new board, and I was gone. So the two events (launch and monetization) could not be more disconnected.

The reason we launched Docker Desktop (initially known as "Docker for Mac") was to make the user experience better: easier to install, better integrated with the system (virtualization APIs, keychain, VPNs, etc), and better support for host volumes.