I think he meant that since she was a cofounder she didn't really need permission

Not sure what is really the meaning. I work hard as I am sure we all do. I am reading this thread while chasing around my 4 kiddos. We all need a beak and we are lucky and grateful to be given those opportunities. I follow hacker news daily so I am just happy that someone who made this all happen to get a chance to relax and reflect. It's deserved.

I guess you don't know, jl is pg's wife, they started hn together before they were married. It's not an employer giving a 'friend' a break, it's a co-founder taking a year off from their successful company.

pg already stepped back from the day-to-day, handing the reins over to Sam Altman.

That's why your comment comes across as strange. You've been here nearly 7 years, surprised you didn't know that.