Living in Vancouver, I know several people who have/do work at D-Wave, and I am certain that they are not a company of shysters. There are a lot of smart people working to make the thing do the thing, and I think the majority aren't concerned with proving it at every step, they're just trying to make it happen (because they believe that it's possible given current knowledge and technology).

It wouldn't surprise me if there's a bit of a PR / Tech disconnect.