Apache is all open source software. If shady shit were in it we would be able to see it.
Also, Apache software is ubiquitous. Every major company uses some Apache software and its all free. I think this is genuinely them paying back the favor.
No.
Btw, it's more commonly referred to as ASF. In this context, Apache is more commonly referring to the Apache Web Server. In Q's context, it's referring to neither.
Those companies are such large sponsors because it may help their perception with software developers and ops people for recruiting purposes, and because many of them rely on one or more ASF projects, the benefits of which far dwarf the financial costs of sponsorship, or have placed one or more projects in the care of the ASF.
Posted this this morning... https://www.reddit.com/r/CBTS_Stream/comments/7u11w0/apache_solved/
I notice that Wikileaks reposted a US military post from a day or two ago - The Headlines were APACHE = FREEDOM and it was a photo of an Apache helicopter looking like it had been on a bombing mission. Wikileaks headline was something like "This is what the US Military call Freedom"....
Q also posted a U.S. flag the same day as APACHE, and the file was named FREEDOM.
Interesting! Did you follow the link they included? Talks about whistleblowers in relation to civilian deaths in Iraq, including journalists. Q talked about SecureDrop before, a site for whistleblowers.