Ask HN/YC: Does HN Pay for Itself?

Given there are reportedly numerous moderators working hard, and thus most certainly getting paid for it by someone, and also obviously there being some hosting & dev costs, I got curious — does HN bring some profit? Is it a practical business decision to keep it alive, or more of a goodwill community service?

If it's claimed profitable, then how? Is it accounted as a "promotional channel", thus more of an expense, but with some claimed/perceived ROI? If yes, is the ROI measured/measurable to some extent? (This last one I suppose is some general knowledge in advertising, which is totally not my domain, so I'll accept if you just send me the RTFM way on it.)

Was this matter maybe answered already on HN or some other public venue?