You're right about this:
> that's not a behaviour that we should condone, or support
but you're extrapolating from limited data to form this opinion:
> That's all I need to know to see that this is not him just funding projects, but actually about getting power in them.
> Freenode is registered as a "private company limited by guarantee without share capital" performing "activities of other membership organisations not elsewhere classified", with Christel and Andrew Lee (PIA's founder) as officers, and Andrew Lee having the majority of voting rights. Any profits are not to be distributed under their articles of association, making it a not-for-profit company.
This means that Andrew Lee has lone control over freenode, holding the majority of voting rights. That's all I need to know to see that this is not him just funding projects, but actually about getting power in them.
If it was just about funding them, he wouldn't have to hold majority voting rights, and could just drop funding if they start doing something he disagrees with.
In general, this is a single person buying up power over major parts of the FLOSS scene, and that's not a behaviour that we should condone, or support.