I think it is a valid point... I wouldn't have made it the same way, but there was value to it.
I only think good came out of this for 10gen and Mongo -- how many people are now aware of Mongo and exactly what it does/doesn't do and what 10gen is doing to fix those issues, that had NO IDEA what Mongo was before this happened?
If 10gen wasn't such a strong company, I'd say all the negative attention would likely slow them down and beat them into submission, but it is quite the opposite.
I don't particularly love Mongo or 10gen, but there is no way you can't say that team isn't a powerhouse.
I doubt this hickup did more than cost them an afternoon of a few emails in time, but likely laser-focused their attention on what matters for the 2.x series.