Everything a project promises off-chain is just words. Sometimes genuine, sometimes not, but never enforceable.
The smart contract is the only promise that actually gets enforced. Most retail investors never read it. They read the pitch deck, the Twitter thread, the Telegram announcements, and make their decisions from there.
The actual mechanics of vesting, token release, and treasury control all live on-chain. If a promise isn't in the contract, it's a courtesy.
Worth keeping that in mind.