If we were to construct some hypothetical scales of justice placing the wrongs they may have committed on one side, and weighing them against the good that has arguably come out of it, as you said such as the boost to businesses, the subsidising of other books in the Penguin stable, or the inspiration it may have given people to do more with their lives in a positive way then I’d argue that the balance tips quite heavily toward the positive.
My father, who fought in World War II, used to say he fervently hoped there was a hell, so that Hitler would burn for eternity for the monstrous sins he unleashed on the world. He hated the fact that Hitler killed himself when it was all over, escaping justice. That gave me a strong moral framework growing up but also a sobering sense of perspective. The world is often unfair. After all, we’re only a blink away in evolutionary time from our animal ancestors, who live in a constant state of fear and survival, scrambling for food and safety each day. Some of that primal chaos still echoes in us now.
So no, I don’t have to like or approve of these people. But watching all this unfold from a somewhat dispassionate hilltop, and considering the broader sweep of things, I can’t bring myself to condemn them vituperatively at least not unless it’s absolutely clear that real signficant and widespread harm has been done more than cancelling my calculation of supposed good, rather than just questionable or distasteful decisions made. If that makes me a bad person, then so be it.
Plus it's so bloody hot outside I'd rather waste time with good people here in front of a fan whatever your views !