[Boudica]

he was paid in eth, not in gbp.

Unless I've completely overlooked It, where Is It stated In the article?

It just says "Benyamin Ahmed is keeping his earnings in the form of Ethereum - the crypto-currency in which they were sold."

To me, that reads as he made the equivalent of 290k GBP. Yes the value may rise/fall, but at the time of payment, someone paid the equivalent of 290k GBPworth of currency.