I didn’t actually intend it to be uncharitable - sometimes allowing a stakeholder (even a ‘key’ stakeholder) an off ramp to a potentially awkward situation is a

I didn’t actually intend it to be uncharitable - sometimes allowing a stakeholder (even a ‘key’ stakeholder) an off ramp to a potentially awkward situation is a much better outcome for the long term health of the project where it’s a reasonable assumption you’re going to have to work with this person again, for a period of possibly months or years. HN probably has a higher proportion of people who prefer a slightly more direct style of communication, and enjoy working with code which is much more functional IO than working with humans. If those people are coming to HN to blow off steam, that’s what you should expect - doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be disastrous if anyone tried to implement it in the real world.