A lot of scandalized fainting and pearl clutching triggered by this.
It's interesting what set of tactics do/don't trigger an instinctive "beyond the pale" reaction on HN.
HNers seem to have a higher comparative tolerance for "marketing."
Salesman stuff seem near the top of this list.
For a lot of tactics, HN is more tolerant (less morally sensitive) than genpop. Eg optimizing user behaviour by embedding whole behavioural psychology lab in code.
IMO, there is a "problem" in here somewhere. Competition for commercially relevant attention is extremely high these days.
Sales, as a strategy, often lends really well to early user acquisition strategies. Often scales poorly, but that doesn't really matter.
I consider this person's actions a direct threat to the health of the internet, and will expend a moderate amount of effort to ensure that his great startup plan falls flat on its face.
For the same reason that I occasionally pick up trash in public and put it in a garbage can. It's not hard to do, and it makes the environment better for everyone else.
It's interesting what set of tactics do/don't trigger an instinctive "beyond the pale" reaction on HN.
HNers seem to have a higher comparative tolerance for "marketing."
Salesman stuff seem near the top of this list.
For a lot of tactics, HN is more tolerant (less morally sensitive) than genpop. Eg optimizing user behaviour by embedding whole behavioural psychology lab in code.
IMO, there is a "problem" in here somewhere. Competition for commercially relevant attention is extremely high these days.
Sales, as a strategy, often lends really well to early user acquisition strategies. Often scales poorly, but that doesn't really matter.