I also should have mentioned that (for me) his content was worth reading even with the in-line ads. Placing in-line ads in content that was marginally valuable

I also should have mentioned that (for me) his content was worth reading even with the in-line ads. Placing in-line ads in content that was marginally valuable/interesting to me might very well result in me skipping the content. That's why I brought up metrics. It's entirely possible he's making more off the ads even with a reduction in readership ... but only he has the data to know.