We don’t have multiple first hand accounts. All we have is second hand account being relayed by someone with a massive axe to grind against Shopify.
There are a lot of truly committed Rubyists at Shopify, particularly the one handling the relationship with Ruby Central.
The idea that Shopify had done what Joel aledges without a single one of the involved parties on the Shopify side blowing the whistle is preposterous.
Let's add here that YOU also worked at Shopify, until recently.
IF we are going to be critical, then let's be complete here.
I actually think there is a lot of validity to the statement made that Shopify is NOT a neutral party here. We can dispute how much Shopify was involved, but to assume "all is unsubstantiated" while not even disclosing one's own work at Shopify, feels super-strange here.