That montage is hardly 'merciless slaying'.
You say 'it sounds like Rickenbackers are pretty good instruments...'. I take it from that statement you haven't owned or played one? John Hall's doing a 'pretty good job of running his company'? That's debatable and belongs in a whole other thread.
JH does get a hard time from Rick users and non-users alike. In my experience, it is wholly deserved. Let me offer you a few reasons why.
Back in the early 2000's I bought an old, stripped '74 4001, my first since the two I'd had in the '80s. Both of those basses were 'dogs', as it is sometimes said, but with my interest in the model re-ignited I decided to give them another bash. The '74 had some issues (NOS hairpin rods needed) but I was happy with it. Then came a '73 in Fireglo with cheq. That was a really good bass. Then came a 4001LF and a 4003 BlueBoy. And with that latter purchase, things got interesting. I also got to encounter the real John Hall.
I had been a member of the official Rick forum back then and noticed that a few guys who'd bought the BB were having colour issues, such as the blue fading to a mint green. Mine did this within a matter of months and whilst I quite liked it I was alarmed that a finish should be changing so soon in an instrument's life. Then, I began to see nicotine-like streaks/splotches appear in the finish, as did others. We questioned this on the forum and then JH waded in. As soon as there was any form of criticism - even warranted - of his company, his business practice, his instruments, he would go for you. And he went for me. I was hectored at length about how the finish could not have possibly changed in such a short time; that I must be leaving the bass in a smoke-filled environment; that I was exposing it to UV light; that chemicals in my skin were causing the changes. So, he went on the attack right away. Throughout the years I have witnessed him come out on the attack time and time again: it is your fault, not mine! Now, doesn't that make him sound like a little bully? And when you get personally attacked by JH via e-mail you know that you are dealing with an unreasonable man. He would wade into conversations with such burgeoning rudeness that I often wondered if the man had a mental health condition for he seemed unable to address anyone who had a grievance, or difference of opinion, civilly. You really had to sit back and think 'Is this guy the head of RIC? Wow!!' You could search RIC Forum (and the cabal of acolytes, RRF) over the past 15-20 years for the stuff he's waded in on.
And I'm not even going to start on the pursuing of 'fakers made 40+ years ago. There's a wealth of information out there about the man; it's up to you if you want to look for it and learn a little bit what he's like.