I think the "excuse" if you could call it that is people have no idea who this is and have no way of contacting them. Besides that, people choose who to work w

I think the "excuse" if you could call it that is people have no idea who this is and have no way of contacting them. Besides that, people choose who to work with based on reputation. I'm saying if this person has banked credibility with people over an extended period, he could probably pick up a few gigs from fellow HNers. At this point, no one knows anything about this person, and so they have no idea what skills or other unique value to ask for or trade cash for. Besides, you're much more likely to go out on a limb for someone you know is a good guy.