"Lying?" How was Simon supposed to know on August 9, 2013 that BTC was about to set new records by rising 500-1200%?
Because that's what bitcoin does. It has always been highly volatile.
No reasonable person would expect HF to be culpable for such an outcome, much less actually believe a tiny new start-up could meet impossible obligations.
Then it was a lie to promise it. Simple. They lied to gain orders.