Yup, I haven't replied to the email and wasn't going to. I was just wondering if there is a scenario where the arrangement is legit, or alternatively, if there's a particularly interesting scam going on here.

If one person does interviews, while someone else does the work, that is what we call a lie.

If you see my sibling comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41649280), I explain how that lie is actually quite typical.

splitting profits 50/50 just for being part of a sales effort? Too good to be true.

Agreed. But sales commissions can be higher than 50%, so you never know.