> Seems like a money printing machine to me.

Only if the creatives are making their money on their platform.

Since Patreon's entire business model is based on taking a cut of the revenue artists make on their platform, they don't make money if the artists make money elsewhere. Many creatives use Patreon only for fan outreach, and sell merchandise outside of Patreon.

If Patreon charged a fixed rate for their software, they could make more money, but they would lose the business of small creatives. That's the dilemma.