Step 1: Develop app
Step 2: Fail at monetizing app
Step 3: Create app development studio
Step 4: Empower others to fail at monetizing apps
Step 2: Fail at monetizing app
Step 3: Create app development studio
Step 4: Empower others to fail at monetizing apps
I understand the sport in extracting the most uncharitable interpretation of a thing and distilling it into the most concentrated snark that you can, but amusing as that can be, you harm the community by posting it here.
Snark always gets many upvotes, perhaps because we enjoy the dopamine rush of briefly feeling superior to others. Such comments rise to the top, become emblematic, and pretty soon we're all in the habit of looking for clever ways to put others down instead of learning and asking questions together.
This is an existential risk to HN, since if we lose the open-minded exploratory quality of the threads (never secure to begin with, and always under pressure from stronger forces), successive waves of thoughtful users will exit, putting the community into a fatal feedback loop.
The point of the comment could have been made in a civil and thoughtful way if the commenter chose to do so, and when people do that, there is far more "learning" to be had and we all benefit.
That may be. I replaced "probably" with "perhaps".
I don't think "sanitizing" is an accurate description of what we do or call for, though I get that it's a rhetorical way of saying not to take things too far. Overmodding is definitely not the goal—undermodding is. The dream is to get it asymptotically approaching zero. That requires a self-regulating community, which requires a self-sustaining culture. Most of what we do, when not posting "please stop" and whatnot, involves figuring out how to get there.
If by "acceptable" you mean better for HN, it's not hard to imagine a thoughtful comment about the difference between making money from an app product vs. an app-building shop. Also it would be easy not to belittle the OP's achievement (as "empower others to fail", for example, does).
To me saying they sh*t on the other person is accurate because to me he is not trying to offer anything constructive. I understand your opinion may differ.
Come to think of it, pretty much all of the money in startups comes either from making lucrative big companies obsolete or selling software to big companies to assuage their fear of becoming obsolete.
Not to feed into this too much. Being cynical adds nothing value to the conversation.
If you're looking to earn 'internet points' by being sarcastic or making jokes at other people's expense, that's what Reddit is for.