I believe that the truth is...
The original so named, 'Guru's back in the 1990's knew no better.
They didn't know what to sell, how to sell, and definitely couldn't really teach people how to make money online.
The Internet was new, it was uncharted territory. You could buy a domain for pennies and sell it on for millions!
Ok, so they built great looking websites promising more money than 'Midas'. Untold glory, riches beyond belief etc.
But the sad truth is they didn't know any more than you or me. They just went out and took a 'Stab' at it. Some made the 'Big Bucks' whilst others failed. They learnt as they went along and some even came up with some fantastic ideas. Push button programs such as Autoresponders were built and suddenly the market was wide open. Online marketers became more transparent and moved forward. Sure the old style lets rip em were still about but things were changing. Even the 'Buyers' were changing, evolving.
So Gurus love em or hate em?