Less than 10 sats is less than a penny. They're not even valuable enough to mint anymore. And they've often for years been free at most point of sale systems in the take-a-penny bin because people don't want them.

If he was insisting on a penny from 1500 (~$5 today) it'd be one thing. Single digit zaps are something of a head scratcher. They're technically worth more than a like, but it's a wonder the network is even willing to route them.