But they never had the tech! This wasn't a genius scientist who got investment to productonize an idea. It was a BS company set up by the parents and their uberwealthy/connected friends, with the kid as the media friendly face, like a teen pop star, or like when someone with a journo friend promotes the "my 8 year old wrote an app!" gimmick every year or so.

They streamrolled a bluff into billon dollar deals, either as a complete scam, or hoping to quietly buy the tech from a real inventor eventually.