[hifromwork]

Of course the cost of an operation is beyond marginal. The cost of maintaining a team capable of executing sophiasticated ransomware attacks is far from trivial. Especially since the operation is illegal, money need to be laundered, interpersonal tensions in cybercrime happen. Less payouts mean less money for the criminals and is absolutely a problem for them.

This is not a company where you automate people out of job and CEO gets all the profit. Organised crime groups share profits among themselves, and the profit is by far the main motivator for all of them.