This is fair. Grumpy actually expected more angry posts like yours. To point out the unfair portions in your comment:
Passively hindered. At worst.
Modus operandi means "method of operating" and refers to one's habits or a pattern. Since this is a one-time occurrence, it is by definition not Grumpy's M.O.
The staff were informed about one week before the public announcement. In fact, one staff member (asdfblarg) was promoted mere days before the private announcement.
Also, you're acting like the staff somehow benefits from this. They do not.
Well, in this case I don't really see a difference between passive and active as the consequences are the same. Sure, one is worse than the other but dividing into worse and worser seems like a moot point at this time. Is it bad if you don't pull back a child that is walking into traffic when you could have saved it from getting overrun? Yes. Is it bad if you push that kid onto the street? Yes. The 2nd sure is worse but the end result, dead kid, is the same.
As to his own statement, this has been in the run for months, or rather years, for his part. So it is, in fact, modus operandi to keep it all in just to go out with a baaaaaaaaaam. There are so many people who would have loved to step up but didn't get the chance to do so because there was no communication. All that website gibberish could have been shared and, if some of those tech guys on /r/ are to be believed, possibly reduced drastically by changing some things in the configs. Now I'm not knowledgeable on that technological stuff but what I do know is that a solution by brain-storming with a lot of experts generally creates entirely new standpoints and options. That chance was forfeited by choice. And that's where my anger and disappointment stems from. I'm not angry that Grumpy wants to get a life. Heck, if it was only that, I'd be the first one to buy him a drink to slurp under some palm trees and congratulate him on his newfound freedom. I totally understand why he needs to distance himself from the chaos. I simply cannot help but feel resentful about the fact that chances were thrown away à la "devil-may-care".
And no, I don't think (and never meant to insinuate) that the staff were profiting from this. If I had to choose, I'd actually feel sorry for them (or at least for those who have already openly stated their sadness about batoto ending). It's the same as the scanlators/contributors/donors who helped make batoto what is is. They all invested emotions, time and sometimes money into this. While Grumpy certainly was a driving force for batoto, there is still a lot more to this community than that. And by going solo the way he is, it feels like Grumpy could have just as well said "Well, peepz, I'm sick of this and now who the heck cares what happens next? Not my problem anymore. I'm outta here, thanks for all the fish~". If this development had had recent origins, i.e. the death of a family member, unemployment or w/e, I wouldn't be as disappointed because "it couldn't be helped". But this was like staying in a relationship while knowing "Oh, I'll end it in 4 weeks but let's make the most of it before then." and the other partner is oblivious. That behavior is what's making me bitter - not Grumpy's need for a batoto-free life. :/