[Eisenstein]

The implication is that the writer is using their bona fides as a corporate media relations expert to craft a compelling narrative targeting a person with a lucrative corporate position. It just so happens that this position is reliant on their political skills rather than their technical qualifications because by all metrics they are terrible at doing what it is they position requires, so instead of watching their reputation blow up and their ability to keep pretending their skillset isn't limited to 'talk about the good old days at the management consulting firm we at together sucking blood from the productive parts of society' with the CEO, that person will pay some kind of protection fee or do whatever dance the writer wants them to do to get them to stop.

As fun as it is to outline such a scheme, it seems incredibly implausible, since a person who's entire income is reliant on corporate media relations wouldn't bite the hand that feeds them to make a few dollars from a corporate enshittifier. Also, the path from 'hit piece' to 'rolling in the dough' seems kind of long and windy, and there are a few steps in there that I don't really get how they would work.

This is why the OP just insinuated the whole thing instead of saying it -- because when you write it down fully it sounds ridiculous.