Think Proton just wants to go mass market, given all their recent bets in multiple products (incl AI chatbot), and yet, it seems like they haven’t had much success selling outside of VPN and Email (note how their pricing nudges (upsells) towards buying other Proton products at a nominal markup over their VPN-only plans).
All that said, Proton has been net good for the privacy community (unlike other companies that have tried and not had the success Proton has had; so, they must be doing a tonne of things right).
As for TheHatedOne, think the real message is, they need monetary support from their viewers, as they’re otherwise leaving a LOT of opportunities on the table (Proton’s offer for $70 per CPA is ridiculously tempting) by renouncing sponsorships / affiliates.