Its subjective, but if it attracts the type of developers they are looking for, then its a success. From my perspective, it seems like they made a mistake, and

Its subjective, but if it attracts the type of developers they are looking for, then its a success. From my perspective, it seems like they made a mistake, and didn't get feedback from a mentor who has hired before. Hiring is hard. Don't screw it up. And if you do screw it up, fail quick and listen to the feedback. I would listen to the HN community and reconsider the approach.