Let's assume Jay is in the pockets of the high-end brands and isn't out of pocket for any costs. Then what's the incentive for him NOT to do Steve Huff puff-reviews where everything new is the best thing since Sydney Sweeny's cleavage?
If he makes mistakes vis a vis gear choices that don't jibe with his evolving tastes, the insinuation is he's the Wizard of Oz and the curtain is torn. How about he's just a human being making a play to do something he likes to make money, thus sometimes he gets mud on his face, but more often than not if you listen carefully to what he says about everything from speaker impedance and placement issues to a DAC or server's software UI or a preamplifier's synergy with other components in his system, you get high-end gear insights you won't get anywhere else.
I just don't get the animosity Jay seems to engender in some people, it seems less to do with him and more to do with the Audiogon community.