Furthermore, you've only got to find one example where P=NP and you can reduce many other problems to this case Except that the answer is quite likely P != NP.

Furthermore, you've only got to find one example where P=NP and you can reduce many other problems to this case Except that the answer is quite likely P != NP. Rather than characterizing the rewards in financial terms, IMHO the more important thing to be gained is knowledge: the answer to a fundamental question in complexity theory (perhaps the fundamental open question).