That said, I do agree with the sentiment expressed here: it is pretty amazing that a site that is really a nexus of high-tech Silicon Valley companies and figures -- quite possibly the most popular one in that segment -- still has downtime and a web interface reminiscent of the 1990s.
And I disagree with those people who say that the site is operated entirely altruistically. There's definitely a huge benefit to YCombinator -- not least of which is raising awareness of their investment opportunities. Also, YCombinator uses HN as a very effective advertisement medium for job offerings for the companies it has invested in. Companies would pay big money for that kind of exposure of their job ads here.
To be clear, I have absolutely no problem with the above motivations. I think it's great that Y Combinator is able to leverage HN is such a way. But I think HN does owe its audience a site that is run and managed in a manner befitting its status as a focal point of global high tech and entrepreneurship.