I thought it didn't need clarification but judging by the comments on HN it certainly did. We can all bitch about whether or not people should have gotten it,

I thought it didn't need clarification but judging by the comments on HN it certainly did. We can all bitch about whether or not people should have gotten it, and I don't think very highly of the reading comprehension skills of the people that didn't, but they didn't. The author didn't communicate his point in a way that translated to his audience. That's the entire purpose of his public, rather than private, blog. So it needed clarification.