[petercooper]

Trivia: It used to be one of the main links at the top of the page about 2+ years ago.

I set a goal several years back of getting into the top 100, then top 50, and so on, and was commenting and posting loads. I guess they didn't like that too much and it disappeared onto the Lists page ;-) I don't post as much now but that's probably a good thing for me.

[crusso]

I set a goal several years back of getting into the top 100, then top 50

Why? Oh, why? I look at my own HN posting as a personal weakness that does nothing to advance my career, general happiness, or sense of personal development. The really successful people I've known in my life don't get caught up in tussling in Internet forums. They stay focused like a laser on goals that are much more recognizable as "success".

And that reminds me to close my browser and think about what I really want to accomplish today!

[petercooper]

Why? Oh, why?

Because, like Everest, it was there :-)

My time on HN has not been as negative as I infer yours has been though. It benefits me and I enjoy it. That back-handed airy-fairy malarky about what "really successful" people do sounds like a load of preachy cobblers to me though.

[mathattack]

I hate to admit it, but this is true. In a sense, I would be less likely to hire me if I saw too high a karma score. :-)

[wglb]

I had a significant career advancement as a result of my activity on HN. And I am sure that I am not alone.

[mikeryan]

I've always kind of found the total points to be a bit irrelevant. But I do take karma into account when posting which probably would prevent me from ever breaking into the top 100 of total points but does prevent me from posting every silly thing that comes into my head[1]. It seems karma's a more relevant metric for value then total.

1. Like this :-) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8362307

[yitchelle]

Other than satisfying some curiosity, what would be the value of such a leader board for HN readers?

[quesera]

Not to speak for Peter, but some people like to set goals because the effort to achieve them might reveal interesting bits about the mechanics or psychologies involved, including their own.

Some of us tend toward the product side, some the process side, and some the people side. The people side is the most visible and most likely to arouse suspicion among geeks, but it's not inherently worthless.

And, of course, self-branding and promotion is a thing that people do.

[lotsofmangos]

It defines the leadership of the Council of Terra, who will be the new global overlords after the Great Forgetting Event of 2018.