I suspect, in this one, it's a bit more complicated than that. MM's and hedge funds have lots of tools and techniques where they essentially naked short or don't worry about margin for a particular stock. Overseas accounts with which they arbitrage makes this a dark and mysterious topic, and that's why they are get so upset when they see discussion on message boards.
Irrespective of that, they may have thought this is a total scam. Sands clearly put his foot in his mouth with some of the stuff he wrote. Traders, MM's and others may have written this off as a GTZ=going to zero.
The fact that they actually have revenues may have shocked them into realizing that perhaps they need to go to other targets that are easier to hit.
This is my own speculation before I get attacked for blaming everything on shorties. It's often a combination of factors and I have written that Sands hurt himself with his actions.
Today, it looks like he may have finally gotten the message.
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