I am a non-tech.
I have a question of some concern regarding this thread. Will it be possible to be a delegate if one is travelling frequently with only a laptop in his possession? Presumably the laptop would be off at least during plane flights and possibly longer.
There are lots of ways to be a delegate while letting someone else provide and manage the hardware. As competition heats up, people will be looking for discriminators. Before long, most delegate candidates will turn the hardware operations over to proven experts to get their credibility and thus "check that square". Otherwise, they will have to work extra hard to convince voters that they have the technical end well covered.
Hardware operators will have to work hard to demonstrate that they are not centralizing the network if a lot of people use their services and equipment. Interesting design challenge, no?
So while hardware operators compete in that domain, people who are able to
motivate voters will be competing to be the most trusted, best managed, and most helpful to the industry. These are business and marketing and political skills.
IMHO those two kinds of skills (technical and business) will not typically reside in a single individual.
That said, it may be a while before competition heats up, during which time a likable person with an intermittently connected laptop might be in the top 101. This is a chance for anyone to earn some profit before somebody out-competes them for their slot.