No one can mine bitcoins for free. Currently, ASICs for mining bitcoins are quite expensive. In addition, many people and companies involved in bitcoin mining spend a lot of money on electricity, rent, and equipment maintenance. It was possible to mine Bitcoin practically for free in the early stages (on your home computer's processor), but even if someone managed to mine Bitcoins back then, it is not certain that they were able to hold on to the coins until today.

Bitcoin technology has changed the world for the better, and I hope that over time we will continue to appreciate the technical advantages of this technology rather than its speculative component.