I think you hit the crux of the issue. On the one hand, life does not work the way OP assumes. It's not linear, we don't "read HN –> profit." On the other han

I think you hit the crux of the issue. On the one hand, life does not work the way OP assumes. It's not linear, we don't "read HN –> profit." On the other hand, news in general can become a meaningless and value-less distraction. So I think they key is what you said: intellectual curiosity and exposure to high-signal information, without a highly specific goal in mind. You get the value of serendipity and filling in some unknown unknowns while avoiding senseless and endless clicking. HN fills that niche about as well as anything, though it certainly can become a distraction if you let it.