I find the entire notion of FOSS contributors looking for "their cut" to be a flawed understanding of what FOSS is, why it exists, and how it is supposed to work. This is viewing FOSS from a very specific perspective that's associated with capitalist economics and broadly how it treats intellectual property. It's as if some developers committed their code to projects expecting some sort of informal, unspoken, "scratch your back..." sort of patent agreement. If you want to use FOSS to make money, then go right ahead. If you have some kind of philosophical or principled view that finds the notion of for-profit software abhorrent, then don't--but also don't then expect those who did to turn around and toss a $20 bill at you. You aren't entitled to part of their success. What you are entitled to is the freedom to take the same FOSS they used and have a go at creating something of your own. This is the compact. If you find it distasteful, then do as the author did and ask yourself if it's really what you want to spend your efforts on. I personally think there is a great deal of inherent value in FOSS, and I have never for one moment thought that it's some zero-sum game where anyone else's behavior, beliefs, approach, success, or failure in any way subtracts from what I can achieve.
A lot these philosophical debates around FOSS remind me of similar discussions regarding socialism and anarcho-communism. There is a great deal of useful thought and objectively good ideas to be taken from these socioeconomic theories. I subscribe to a considerable number of them, and put forth a considerable effort to put into practice the values and beliefs they espouse. But pragmatically speaking, free-market capitalism and constitutional democratic republics are going to be the dominant economic and political systems for the foreseeable future. Certainly my lifetime. So every time I encounter a fundamentalist or someone who flatly refuses to engage with any entity or ideal that runs counter to their anarcho-communist orthodoxy, I cringe with the anticipation of hopelessly idealistic platitudes and the associated injured ego that the greater world won't "listen" and fall in line.
Yes, FOSS was/is/will be exploited by dishonest actors. It will go unappreciated by the large majority of those who benefit from it. It will never be as commercially viable as other more exploitative business models. It will likely remain an esoteric niche, even if it continues to be the buzzword darling of the tech industry. Twas ever thus. Just remember, you can't write code if you're wringing your hands. We contribute because for us personally the benefits outweigh the risks/burdens. We do it because we believe in the free and open exchange of ideas. We do it because we find satisfaction in the act of creating novel things and sharing them with others. We do it because we want to give back to a community that has already provided us with considerable value. If you're doing it because you're looking for glory and wealth, I invite you to look elsewhere. Viva la revolución!