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Comment by jhh | Hacker News Reader

There's really no need to apologize for this in my opinion. If people decide to trust a complete non-source that's their problem.

It's actually a fascinating demonstration of the dynamics of these rumors.

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I think the apology stems from the possibility that the rumor was close enough that it could have gotten someone (at Apple) in trouble (and that person would have no control over the rumor). Just like if I bump into someone accidently, I say excuse me or sorry.

It’s a long shot that the poster would have actually endangered anyone’s position at Apple, but I suppose it’s already a somewhat long shot that he managed to nail both the patent and an area of expertise of a recent hire, all without any prior context. Given that, I think this was the right thing to do.

Even if it did manage to get somebody at Apple in trouble, the fault lies entirely with Apple laying down false accusations with insufficient evidence, not with the guy who made a lucky guess and didn't even do it intentionally.

Yes, but Apple's actual shitty behaviour or this hypothetical shitty behaviour might stop someone putting food on the table.

If someone loses their job over this, the fact it's just Apple being arseholes won't be of much comfort to the newly unemployed (unless it's a lucrative wrongful dismissal suit I guess.)

Does anyone have any confidence in Apple doing the right thing by its employees or indeed customers?

I don't mean to imply that Apple wouldn't do it. Just saying that if we're assigning blame, that's where it should go.

As for putting food on the table, in general I'd agree, but do ex-Apple employees in SV really have trouble finding new jobs?

They do if they want to work for Google, Adobe, Intel...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/technology/settlement-sili...

http://pando.com/2014/03/27/how-steve-jobs-forced-google-to-...

1. That's not being done anymore.

2. Even if it was, it didn't apply to people who have been fired.

3. Even if it did, there are lots of other places for programmers to work.

Agreed. I can't see how this did anyone any harm, which means there's nothing for which to apologize, although I certainly can understand the instant "oh my God what have I done" fear, upon seeing something one thought inconsequential suddenly cease to be so, which might motivate someone to offer an apology where none is required.

In any case, whoever and wherever the anonymous "leaker" might be, she should be proud! If nothing else, this is an excellent demonstration of the high relative bogosity level of tech journalism in general. (Although I am pleasantly surprised to see that the Register let this one pass without comment. They've always been surprisingly respectable over there, as far as red-top rags go.)

I also feel there is no need to apologize. It was a silly rumor and I find it amazing that people will spend so much time on such silliness (instead of, you know, building things, or doing anything that adds value).

I don't feel sorry for those who picked up the rumor and ran with it. If you make it your mission/business to pick up hearsay and pump your pageviews, you deserve what you get.

It's like the digital equivalent of the butterfly effect. A few strings of text pushed into the ether causes a big shift in market forces... pretty nuts, and really shows that the Internet has the power to act as an equalizer (harnessing that is a different matter).

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