Bitcoin was a bit of a joke to them for so long. I don't think they thought it would survive & become what it is today. If they had taken it seriously, they would have done more research into it's design & seen that it was hard to kill once it got to a certain size.

Their only option now is to acquire as much control of it as they can. It can't be stopped but it could be controlled. There are many Bitcoiners standing in their way who have other plans & hopes for it. This is where things get interesting.