Oof, not classy. I think every developer has had the experience where you think you're so close to the finish, just one more thing... and then hours, days, weeks have gone by. How can he be so sure they're going to strike it big?
This is a pictographic sunk cost fallacy.
I read it as "they didn't continue long enough to get to the benefits, as we did", i.e, they already reached the diamonds.