Yes ..Aussie Surfer , you are correct on that detail .
He did help take the product to some pretty dizzy heights , with some very good marketing , mass production , world recognition .
It could have stayed in a Garage of course and still been a fine niche business , just the way it always was ( not that long ago ) with surf boards etc , and I can understand the romance in that .
Look , he will probably come back ..most of these guys do , I just dont think its really very nice to Celebrate the misfortunes of individuals , especially creators , and he did do a lot for the name , even if you personally dont like him .