It isn't about PG necessarily being great in everything he writes. It's that the readership of HN has his writings in common, possibly more than anything else.

It isn't about PG necessarily being great in everything he writes. It's that the readership of HN has his writings in common, possibly more than anything else. Some articles are on the front page to be read on their own or maybe even just to look at the pictures. Some are effective just for being a jumping off point for the discussion. Since what he writes about is so closely aligned with the readers here his articles almost always qualify for the latter, and occasionally for the former.