My biggest problem with the post is the massive ego the author seems to have about the impact and importance of their writing.

To be frank, the author made little to no meaningful contributions to Minecraft's success.

The author is so self-centered they belittle the contributions of other Mojang employees and seem to genuinely believe their contribution is on the same level as people like Jeb and C418. They literally describe the End Poem as a quote "Priceless Gift".

He had multiple opportunities to get his agent (and he had one the whole time, which he mentioned early in the story) do the grown up talk for him, and he passed it up every single time. Every time, it's excuse after excuse about why he either sent nonsensical emails when trying to talk to people about compensation or just stayed silent while resenting Mojang for not actively coming after him and shower him with millions out of nowhere.

Honestly very little sympathy from me. I would be beyond pissed if I was trying to close a deal with someone who kept sending me novels over email instead.

Agreed. This whole comment thread is making me feel more negative about HN than I have before.

I think most of them didn't actually read it and instead skimmed a few paragraphs, saw "$20,000", and rushed back to comment.

> Im honestly chocked that people react so negatively to this piece.

I say this with all the love in the world: it's hard for engineers to think like artists and vice-versa.

I think there's something beautiful about the combination of the content of the post and the content of this comment section. It seems almost too perfect.

My thoughts exactly!

Why would you think it's socially acceptable to be a flawed person? Flaws aren't something we excuse just because people express them. Expressing them doesn't absolve you of them. They are still there, as flaws, and therefore people react to them as flaws.