Anyone who opted in could have doubled their money this morning. Is it still a scam with this knowledge?

It was an option offered. Nobody's hand was forced.

If they didn't make the offer, they'd be criticized for offering any of the "pie" to users who helped them succeed.

I’ve steered clear of anything like that since the Deliveroo IPO. I bought into the offer of “special early access” shares as a regular user of the platform… …then watched their value spectacularly plummet over the next few years while the founders rode off into the sunset with my cash…