They object to being called a troll farm, but essentially admit to all the activities, including making fake accounts, that makes them a troll farm. Other than getting picky about terminology it appears to be an admission of guilt.

I once went to a meeting of an actual full-blown cult.

It was a very curious evening. The first thing they did was reassure everyone - slightly nervously - that they weren't a cult.

"You'll see us called a cult online, but we're not a cult. Ha ha. Definitely not a cult. Certainly not. Oh no."

This denial sounds rather similar.

Reminds me of when my friend took me to a MLM get together (aka Sales Pitch)

It's not a pyramid, it's an upward funnel!

Interesting statement. I'm not super convinced by their arguments, but one cannot be sure the newspaper reporting is accurate and unbiased either.

Strange how the statement feels chaotic and even unprofessional at times. They should get PR firm perhaps? Oh wait.