I have only ever interacted with 1 person IRL who used HN, which lead to my using it. Other than that, no-one I know that works within tech uses it, so anecdota

I have only ever interacted with 1 person IRL who used HN, which lead to my using it. Other than that, no-one I know that works within tech uses it, so anecdotally I would say, HN is a relatively unknown community. I wouldn't say exclusive, as anyone can join.