This is a good discussion as it is apparent that web2py is an incredible framework for rapidly building well-designed applications but it's not totally clear what happens in a high volume situation. But let's not forget that pretty much every framework experiences this exactly. While Massimo is with us and we hope he will be for a long time, let's really push web2py. That's the best way to identify and resolve issues.
Many projects like this begin with one visionary and it is understandable to be concerned about the future of the project. But with valuable projects such as web2py, they figure out a way to endure. That's the beauty of open source. One thing that would help (me, at least) is spec'ing out a solid server configuration. It's so easy and inexpensive now to pick an environment on Amazon or Rackspace ($0-8/month)(for US people, at least). There are already some great docs and scripts to get web2py running on Ubuntu and Apache. It would be great to see some information on Nginx and Cherokee (on Ubuntu 10.04).