The Spartan keeps smelling worse and worse as the article goes on:

First, it points out that the ads came out before the thing was even built: I know there's good reasons for companies to gauge interest before investing in a product; on the other hand, they didn't "know what they were getting into" or that they were going to screw up the timing of the product.

Next, it points out that the lead engineer was a teenager. This project is way to complicated for a bright kid. It implies that the company didn't have the budget to build what they wanted to build.

Finally, the coup-de-grace in the article is the description of the owner's management style. A draconian guy who fired people on a whim and made people clock out to poop. It's no wonder the only constant engineer was a teenager; they probably didn't know any better than to jump ship.