We can hold out a little hope! Vice lists their pre-sale as starting tomorrow, so it seems logical that the Steem snapshot could have been envisioned to take place just before that. And for those used to blockchains like bitcoin, 18 million blocks may seem crazy and account for a white paper typo!
However it is likely that when Vice changed their strategy from an SMT to their own chain, they may have scored some extra tech support and consulting from Steemit Inc. with free shares aimed right at the founders. We’ll see!