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You can't pay your employees with page views. Profits (or revenue, to be a bit more precise), on the other hand, are directly exchangeable for rent, food, payroll, keeping the lights on, and other such necessities.

The dollars a farmer uses to make payroll are fungible. It doesn't matter if they came from a stupid government subsidy or a sale at a farmer's market.

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You pay your employees with capital, which can come from customers, the government, banks, credit card companies or investors.

Most tech startups do not generate a lot of cash in their early stages, which is why they raise capital from investors who purchase equity stake in the company because they believe the company will be valuable down the road. Page views (and more so user signups/engagement) are one metric by which investors make the decision to invest capital.

Guys, this is what modern capitalism is all about.

Sure, and I bet you buy your food with stock options.

Unless you're one of the many Instagram-like startups that have higher burn than revenue and still get paid handsomely.

Or no revenue at all, in the case of Instagram.

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