OK. So spill the tea.. what nefarious actions are these guys doing - is it the length of time the dev miner kicks in for?

None. He's a troll with some unknown agenda, and I've gladly made him a bet for 1 BTC whenever he can come back with anything backing the FUD and bs he's dumping wherever he goes. He's a nuisance in multiple miner threads. Naturally he'll never get 1 BTC, since spreading dirt is the only thing he's good for. You're free to read back a few pages when he was last around.