Paying people per word is just silly. Can we please not carry over this hackish way of valuing a writer's contribution?

If we wanted a metric of the value of the post, I would think up-votes would be a better metric. But personally, I agree with the others here saying that monetary compensation is not a good idea. Or, if you feel the desire to give back to the community financially for financial success you are having,perhaps a donation to PG or YC for maintaining this site.

(Yes, I know he doesn't need it, and I know he gets value from the site. Saying thank you is still a good idea, both because he does good things with money, and because it [the gesture, more than the money] will keep him interested and involved, even as his success and demands for his time continue to grow.)