Golf tournaments make money through advanced ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and hospitality suites, and on-site revenues from parking, concessions, and merchandise.

FORBES: Tiger's Absence Should Have Little Financial Impact On U.S. Open

But the logic in the long run of making such alliances is that Europe's firms will otherwise lose the ability to make some big-ticket weapons, such as advanced fighters, without American help.

ECONOMIST: A shrinking arms market

On the pro side, OLPC has big-ticket partners, including Google, key Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices, Linux distributor Red Hat, and RupertMurdochRupert Murdoch's News Corp.

FORBES