It could also be that being slightly controversial and possibly factually incorrect is by design in the "any press is good press"/"it's better to ask forgivenes

It could also be that being slightly controversial and possibly factually incorrect is by design in the "any press is good press"/"it's better to ask forgiveness than permission" kind of way. When you are a relative newcomer going against legacy incumbents with much larger ad budgets and fighting to live another day such guerrilla marketing style tactics can be advantageous. The trick is to realize when you've jumped the shark and are now the established brand and wean yourself of the "fast and loose" approach.