The thing with Akabur is that he did initially run his Patreon campaign like he was trying to raise funds. The pledge tiers had actual rewards tied to them, like "occasional" drawings, and access to a members-only gallery. I think the $20 or $50 tier suggested those patrons might get access to betas when they were ready. "Might" turned out to be operative. He only scrubbed most of that away and reduced it to a tip-jar when it became obvious that involved too much effort, and people started to ride him about it. On top of that, he made a lot of promises about what Patreon cash would do to help streamline his workflow, and other assorted, admittedly vague, promises while he was developing WT.
I don't know how much that initial push still factors into his current totals. By now, I'd hope everyone giving him money regularly is well aware that they're just pissing it away on someone who prefers not to have to work, on the off chance he'll decide to do a few drawings and a smidgen of coding this month.
He does still have the bit in there about how he doesn't believe in taking days off. I don't think it's meant to be wry, even if it is comical.
I don't say this to dissuade people who contribute with their eyes wide open. It just that given the exaggerations, the expunged history, how he handles Patreon generally, and what people think Patreon is supposed to be, I think having your eyes open requires more than glancing through his Patreon page.