My honest guess is that it is an excellently executed plan whose design is to appear to be fumbling, bumbling idiots. The best defense against scam accusations is the appearance of ineptitude.
"Awe shucks guys, I really tried so hard to make this work, but we were trying new technology". Meanwhile there is no doubt that GAW is making a kings ransom off of this scam. That sends my BS meter right off the charts.
Nah, I really believe he's bumbling.
The fact that large sums of money are ending up in the hands of those orchestrating this boondoggle is , in my opinion, all the proof that one needs to know that what is going on is quite intentional. My dad told me a long , long, time ago this truism which has been proven true in every case over the years: "If someone tells you it's not about the money, you can bet your ass it's about the money". Josh & Co. are claiming this is all about innovation and creating a new system of commerce and cutting out those evil banks, not about funneling huge amounts of $ and BTC into their hands. Pure BS. It's about the money.
Also, I have been in the building business for over three decades now, and I can tell you that there are a LOT of scoundrels who will scam you. It generally involves entering into a contract to perform a task (and these always involve a down payment), and when they fail and are dragged into court the defense they usually use to get out of a court ordered specific performance ruling is incompetence, followed closely by uncontrollable external factors (weather, material or labor unavailability, etc). All they have to prove is that they "did their best to honor the agreement" and they walk away scott-free. This is precisely what is being set up here. If GAW were to demonstrate competence and this thing fails (we all know it will) then there would be no reasonable defense against malfeasance. By setting it up as if they are a bunch of well meaning bumbling idiots they have a perfect defense. It isn't illegal to be an idiot, but it is illegal to enter into an agreement and intentionally not deliver what was promised. This is exactly what is going on. You can believe whatever you want, but I have experienced and witnessed this sort of thing so many times I know what is going on, and knowing always trumps believing.