This is just incorrect. Doing something for free is not the same as the work having zero value. Are you claiming the value of the work of all volunteers is zero

This is just incorrect. Doing something for free is not the same as the work having zero value. Are you claiming the value of the work of all volunteers is zero? Is the value of donated blood zero? Does open source software have zero value? Let’s assume you mean that they don’t deserve to get paid because they’ve been doing it for free. That don’t make any sense either. Most people have done things that they could have or should have gotten paid for. Opinions change, their demands can change. They have a skill, and they want to be compensated for it. If this was a solved technological problem, we wouldn’t have mods in the first place. Don’t confuse value and cost. One of those is much more flexible than the other.