I suspect the amount of spam and harassment on MozNet hasn't actually changed over time, or given Firefox's decline may have even got lower (as fewer people car

I suspect the amount of spam and harassment on MozNet hasn't actually changed over time, or given Firefox's decline may have even got lower (as fewer people care about Mozilla anymore). No evidence was provided that times have actually changed w.r.t. spam and harassment even though this appeared to be the primary motivation to shut down IRC. Rather, I suspect Mozilla's increasingly sensitive SF bubble-immersed culture has created an environment in which ever more mundane disagreement and conversation is relabelled as "harassment" and what they want is a system that allows for much more controlled speech. Seems a part of the general zeitgeist of the Valley in which techies are concluding free speech is harmful and they should control what's said.