[GhostVII]

I think the reason why this seems more likely to be malice is because the CEO's initial reaction to the backlash was not to listen to and understand the feedback, but to repeatedly try and justify their actions. To go from commenting all over hacker news about how you aren't doing anything wrong, to sending out an email completely reversing your decision a couple days later, makes it seem like the apology was more motivated by trying to do damage control rather than genuinely thinking their actions were wrong.

[ryanwaggoner]

I was on the original thread. He made a few comments over the course of a couple hours, if that. He wasn’t “all over Hacker News”.

[mthoms]

You're right that the CEO wasn't “all over Hacker News”.

But the parent is indeed correct in implying that the comments he did make were anything but receptive or conciliatory.

[ryanwaggoner]

Right, but that seems completely in keeping with his version of events. They announce this is coming without much consideration and then later he finds himself under scathing attack from HN, reacts badly and leaves some defensive comments, then takes a couple days to think about it, realizes he was wrong, writes a very good apology email.

That all makes sense, this isn’t the end of the world, can we just move on, please?

[GhostVII]

Yea that's fair