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This trope is very near the top of my list of things that I wish we could get rid of in conversation. It's a kind of reversal that I suppose is born of frustration rather than being a genuine holistic opinion, but using words like "naive" creates the impression that you would rather criticize people for wanting better behavior from executives than criticize executives for misbehaving. That's a pretty hideous position, and I don't think it's the position you're actually trying to take.

The article is not implying he was ever truly honest. It just saying we have more evidence of his “inconsistent candor” mentioned in his firing letter.

Right. "Inconsistent candor" is a euphemism for "liar, liar, pants on fire!" that won't get one sued for libel or slander.

At fault: The reader's naivete Excusable: Billionaire with unfathomable power

It's all user error I suppose?

There ain't no naivete, here on HN, for "fault" to be applicable.

If you think ill-behaved billionaires are excusable, then we disagree. Though we seem to be stuck in a dystopian world run by them - so I guess you "win", in a sense.