Well, the value is that they know there is an open position, and you don't. What they really need is a better way to monetize it. Of course, this falls flat in the case of a company contracting to a recruiting agency to find someone. I'm not sure if you would be able to short-circuit the recruiting agency for the position in that case (though it just might depend on the contract between the agency and the hiring company).

I agree with the GP post. What they need is better value. If all they have is that they know about it and you don't, why are they being paid such a large rate? If that's all they do, they should be paid slightly more than a job posting rate, because they are acting only slightly more useful than a job posting.

OTOH, we've seen posts before from a company trying to be the equivalent of an agent for developers. Negotiating better salary and finding jobs the developer is going to enjoy more is indeed a service that is worth the expense for the developer; the company is also more likely to get a long-term, quality (viz. someone at least interested in the company's vision) hire. The problem is that this kind of recruitment requires effort, real communication, and thoughtfulness, instead of email-blasting as many addresses as you can find.