Unpopular opinion, but I think it would be better to respect the author’s decision to retract their words from a very front-and-center experience with their colleagues’ colleagues.

I’ve made a few nutty comments myself, and it took years of training to break the habit of saying whatever comes to mind online. And I still fail occasionally. The delete button is a merciful respite when you come to your senses, and I empathize with the author’s desire to be forgotten.

That said, I can’t convince you to remove the link, and even if you did, I guess someone else would post it. I just can’t remember any time in HN history that this has happened (though I’m sure it has), and we might want to weigh accordingly whether it’s worth going against a community member’s wishes. After all, they are as much a member of this community as you or I.

EDIT: I admit, though, I read the article out of curiosity. It seems fine.

Maybe they retracted it because the top comment was calling out the author’s history in a very personal way. But whatever the reason, it’s still their decision.