I think the money shouldn't go directly to the company. This incentivizes them to keep their processes terrible. Publicizing it on HN seems more effective, and

I think the money shouldn't go directly to the company. This incentivizes them to keep their processes terrible. Publicizing it on HN seems more effective, and provides incentive for the companies to fix their processes, lest they be continually shamed. The problem is, it doesn't really scale as a method of resolving significant customer issues.