I see that the author has done significant open source work, so it's possible he just received an offer. But I'm thinking the more likely path was that the company reached out with a pitch and asked him to interview, and I wonder why his principles didn't stop him then.

Been in the same boat where people pitch me a cryptocurrency job or I see job listing match in experience in cryptocurrency and I decline to even interview - I already know how I feel about it and it would be a waste of my time and their time to subject both sides to an interview.