A sizeable chunk of well-recognised founders are simply scammers - they take VC money, sell dreams to customers, and exploit engineers as a necessary step to keep the ball rolling.

Think of the operation of a pump and dump with extra steps. The mission is never about creating value, it's about pumping expectations and pulling the rug at the right time.

Maybe a few of them live in the delusion of improving society with their products, but even then, the fact that they don't give a damn about the quality delivered to customers (or are qualified to make any technical judgement) makes them de facto scammers.