That kind of dramatic change usually only benefits people with nothing to lose or a distinct next-level gain to make.

Norvig definitely isn't in the first category and has many better avenues for gains than an attempted split of the US (think about who does potentially benefit from that).

Plus hackers love puzzles.

So it's not surprising that politics isn't what it was about.

Me too! I was surprised at the title, fully expecting Norvig to channel Michael Malice and talk about splitting the US.