This person doesn't understand how Medium works. Yes, FoM reads pay more, but selective readers are much more valuable than FoM who spend all day on here reading. I did some analysis of the value of reads and my reads tend to be worth more because I'm selective. People who spend hours and hours reading, even if they are FoM, their reads are worth less. I will send you the link to read if you want to understand this effect better. Let me know.

Don't feel pressure to upgrade.