The whole point why anyone cares about these proofs is that the things we learn as we make the proof might add value, proving p = np itself isn't interesting, that knowledge has no application and therefore no value in itself.

I have published mathematics so I do value knowledge, but for most of mathematics the value of the knowledge isn't the thing you try to prove it is all the things you learn as you try to prove it. p = np is one such thing.

So the whole interesting bit about it is the proof, not the fact.