Assuming the standard meaning of the phrase "snake-oil salesman", I think the odds that this is all an elaborate sham to knowingly dupe people into buying a pro

Assuming the standard meaning of the phrase "snake-oil salesman", I think the odds that this is all an elaborate sham to knowingly dupe people into buying a product that doesn't exist converge on zero. But, the case can certainly be made that he is prone to hyperbole and "exuberant optimism".