Once the old guard left or were jettisoned from VA, the fall was inevitable. The desperation crept in to survive and it rapidly became a race to the bottom.

I knew once folks like the Thinkgeek founders and the last of the core SF team bolted that no hope was left. The fact that it survives, even in its current punchline without a setup configuration, might be a testament to how well and durable it started at.