Yep, I had a similar experience with a couple of companies... their behaviors had nothing at all to do with profitability, and everything to do with jacking up stock prices to fleece investors.
I remember the eGreetings.com people visited our offices, and wanted some marketing, but the results had to be instantaneous. We asked what their strategy was, and they said "To do an IPO, or get bought by Microsoft"
That is what it was all about...they could care less about their marketing past 6 months.