> I'm simply trying to say the researcher would have more pleasant interactions with the people they email if they helped the person understand what they _do_ want out of the interaction instead of just saying they aren't being scammed. If the researcher placed themselves in the shoes of the CEO, they could understand why the CEO responded that way. That's not the same thing as thinking the CEO _should_ have responded that way. I am also not letting the researcher off the hook for responding to the CEOs response the way they did.

You are right if you just look at the emails you are disregarding the attempt to mediate via a reputable third party. In which the ceo reacted in the same way.