While I don't agree that there is conspiracy going on, Replit's co-founder, amasad's post on entrepreneurship from 2016 kind of explains why his tweets outlining his outlook for the future of his company may come off as that:
I view entrepreneurship as means of reconciling the infinite and finite. You venture into your imagination, gather knowledge, and dream about a better world. But you have to bring some of that back to earth. You take a step -- no matter how small -- towards your imagined world in the real world.
This is not a one time thing, it's a recursive process. If your imagined possibilities became real then that's your new "finite". The process restarts and that's how we make progress.
...
I see this as the perfect framework for the work we do in technology. There is always a tension between what is and what could be. There are people and organizations who are stuck in the status quo (the finite). On the other hand, there are folks who are stuck in the what could be without any actionability (the infinite).
Taking a step into the infinite could be hard, but the hardest thing of all is bringing something back to the finite. The real art is coming up with the smallest possible task that can be done here and now.
Jokes aside, that post is at least insightful about their future trajectory? It definitely gives off the vibe that they're going for a platform/creator economy kind of monetization. I'm with you in that I'm skeptical it'll pay off, especially because the direct comparison they use (Roblox) is very different: it's a game that kids play on, not an "operating system".
The valuation is still high for where the company is now. I personally think churn is going to be a huge issue for them and there is a huge uncertainty if they would be able to counter it, but I think it is unfair of you not to highlight that they do mention concrete numbers and show solid user tractions, which certainly counters your assertions that "nothing changed" in the last few years.
[0] https://www.notboring.co/p/replit-remix-the-internet
[1] e.g., the CEO making vague tweets about "web3" = "Replit will be a vortex for talent, creativity, and economic activity online. It might become the operating system for the 21st Century, the platform on top of which much of the internet is built, remixed and monetized."