It's something I'm probably going to do in the not-to-distant future.
I was here before the partner program. I'm not here for the money (if I was I'd soon starve) and a typical month would more than cover the cost.
There are a couple of people I follow who will roundly trash the whole thing. They are part of the Medium-sucks-but-I'm-still-here-don't-ask crowd but the ones I still follow will do so in an amusing manner.