I’m going to take a guess and say the CEO dispensed with safety concerns, because of money issues. It became a choice between not launching subs and losing his company or launch subs and try and correct problems along the way.
In my opinion, if I’m correct, he should have perhaps been more modest about what he could do. There is a lot to see when you go 1000 feet below the sea. He might have been able to generate a lot of business by being more realistic and still work on a sub that he could go 12,500 feet.
Apparently their was a need for investors...who generally expect something for their money in return. I understand the sub had gone down three other occasions. I would question the durability of the man made material it was made out of ....unlike most it wasn’t steel but an experimental concoction. Which is why banging the sides would be like banging a piece of wood - not very loud - from what one professional said.