AFAIK, there's fuck all difference in stiffness between 30 and 24mm axles
Stiffness isn't the point. You can make a 15mm axle stiffer than a 24mm DA axle if you make it out of enough material :)
The goal is good enough stiffness at minimum weight, and having 30mm to play with and only needing to fill a 68mm shell, Cannondale could make their axles out of hollow aluminum rather than steel, reducing the system weight but keeping the stiffness where it needs to be.
Stiffness isn't the point. You can make a 15mm axle stiffer than a 24mm DA axle if you make it out of enough material :)
The goal is good enough stiffness at minimum weight, and having 30mm to play with and only needing to fill a 68mm shell, Cannondale could make their axles out of hollow aluminum rather than steel, reducing the system weight but keeping the stiffness where it needs to be.