Ruby Central Is Not Behaving in Good Faith, and I've Got Receipts

Tone and Credibility of the Article

• Many readers found the article’s tone overwrought, “histrionic,” and reminiscent of 2020–2021 outrage culture.
• Several said the title promises “receipts” but delivers almost none: little concrete evidence of Ruby Central’s alleged bad faith, and much focus on personalities.
• Mischaracterizations (e.g., describing Basecamp as having “imploded”) were seen as undermining credibility.
• The dramatic conclusion (“I am done… build a separate ecosystem”) led some to dismiss the piece as more harmful than helpful to its own cause.

Misinterpretation of DHH’s Writings

• The “first-world problems” quote was central: most commenters felt it clearly doesn’t “cheer on death via starvation” and reads instead as standard “check your privilege” rhetoric.
• Because the article extrapolates this into “cheering on death,” many concluded the author is either dishonest or extremely uncharitable, casting doubt on other accusations (fatphobe, homophobe, etc.).
• A linked post described as “hateful to therapists” was read by commenters as simply arguing that building competency can substitute for therapy, not as hate speech.

Ruby Central, Governance, and Security

• Some tried to refocus on Ruby Central’s governance of RubyGems: a shift in control, maintainers (including the lone security engineer) quitting, and concerns the code is now effectively unmaintained.
• Others argued the change was intended to improve security and to prevent core infrastructure from becoming a protest battleground, though whether security actually improved is disputed.
• Mention was made of a major sponsor pulling funding over DHH-related controversy, leaving Shopify as the main sponsor.

Deplatforming and Conference Politics

• A recurring theme: should a tech conference disinvite a speaker over non-technical political views?
• One side: if you dislike his politics, don’t attend; tying tools and conferences to ideological purity is unhealthy.
• The other: supporting far‑right figures and stoking ethnic tension crosses a line; communities need not platform that, invoking ideas like the “paradox of tolerance.”

Racism, Fascism, and Tommy Robinson

• Long subthreads debated whether DHH’s London essay and support for Tommy Robinson amount to racism or fascism.
• Some see clear ethno‑nationalist dog whistles and argue that supporting a far‑right street movement is de facto fascist.
• Others insist the concerns are about culture, crime, and illegal immigration, not race, and warn that overusing words like “racist” and “fascist” has diluted their meaning.