Aside from Dan not transitioning to a monetization strategy sooner, when the prolonged short attack became obvious, what exactly was the "mess" that Dan left? Although when he left there was over $100 million in the bank, so even that was not really much of a mess. The "mess," if there is one, is caused by the attack on the share price, which now limits the company's options to licensing or buyout. Which is what Dan should have been doing before he left. But if not for the stock manipulation, the entire picture would look alot different.