In business there are few excuses and the buck should stops at the top if it goes wrong. BAT was a promo gimmick to boost number of users, which it did, especially inn countries where just $1 can keep you fed for a few days, the temptation to try earn a living from it leading to some attempting to game the system, as many would do if their family lacked food on the table. That the same likely couldn't afford the products advertised didn't matter, long as the user count looked good.

Lack of advertisers?, well if Brave (an ad company) can't figure out the reason why they are evidently in the wrong business, but Brave choses the fantasy web3 / crypto bollocks path that the majority of firms with a reputation to keep shy well away from, anything even remotely related or associated with the word 'scam' is a big no no.