Everything was apparently running like clockwork behind the scenes at Steemit Inc. you'd think.

That's their problem in a nutshell, it basically boils down to a blind shepherding approach on their part. It has been very frustrating.

I must say that I'm also quite taken aback to discover that there seems to have been no substantial protective financial buffer set in place to cover the costs of running operations down at HQ.

Yes it's literally unbelievable, I do not believe it, not fully anyway. True to form there's some other aspect here. I'm not talking about a conspiracy, just that there are a few other cards somewhere, not at the table.