Since this offhand comment seems to hit a nerve: My thinking was that there has been a slate of pro-Dropbox stories (I am a happily paying user of their service) which looked like it was carefully choreographed by a PR firm, no doubt sparked by their fundraising.
That being said, saying that they paid him was a bit over the top and I hereby retract that theory.
Don't be so nieve as to think all this good press just happens, well all still live by C.R.E.A.M. And it's not a bad thing, I love DB, but you can bet they did, indeed, pay good money for this. Did they pay the reporter? no. Did they pay for all this press? yes.
That being said, saying that they paid him was a bit over the top and I hereby retract that theory.