Which is an annoying consequence, if writers are being forced to change the way they structure and format stories, and perhaps even the themes they cover, as a result of what should be a largely administrative or arithmetic change.

Because even if one is not prioritising earnings, the algorithm is presumably also using that same revised composite 'engagement' parameter as a factor in deciding which stories to promote to other users, so 'more earnings' = 'greater chance of bigger readership', I presume in a virtuous (or vicious) circle.