I don't really like Twitter but actively avoid clicking substack links
If there's any manipulation at HN we'd have noticed a long time ago, because this is not an audience that's early fooled.
Also, on the scale of things HN is peanuts. It's not a mainstream thing that would attract the interest of investors at all. This is one of the things I like about it. And I strongly trust the integrity of people like dang who have made this site what it is.
It doesn't really matter what your specific intentions are, and no one can verify them anyways since your using a pseudonym, but when there are thousands of accounts like this, people notice.
And they draw the conclusion that there's something fishy going on, or that there's an enormous influx of highly active new users joining every month.
Personally I do think there is some vote trading and account trading going on, though I'm unsure as to the extent.
For example, I will often give criticism about products our company uses or even sells. Consider how LinkedIn is a sickening stream of people repeating the company line without critical thought. This is what too much traceability looks like. Just a whole bunch of fake. Anonymity makes it easier to be honest, not harder.
Also as I work in cyber I'm always aware of the dangers of OSINT. I will continue rotating this every few months, or as necessary.
The way this site and its operators understand the need for this, is one of the things I really like here. I see many people using throwaways and this is not frowned upon unless they are used for spamming, shilling or other abuse.
PS my account name isn't random, it stands for something.