At this point, looking at what ETH has got for its fan and how fast it is going, it has shown that Cardano is in no way  a good competitor for it. Well, I do not know the development that awaits cardano in future, yet it is very glaring that ETH has got all it needs to surpass it.
So, my believe is that, the CEO knows the fact that ETH is better, but he is looking for publicity.