Assume the 411 call is legit, and this really was the NSA. The author has no evidence there was a ticking time bomb scenario underway. Other than the fact that he was called late at night.

Calling him at his parents’ place late at night seems less like a coincidence and more like an ominous demonstration of their power. I know that would influence me, and I’d feel more disposed to cooperate.

I could forgive someone making a rash decision after midnight while traveling. But here it is, some time later, and the author still seems to think it’s a cool story. Nice to know that a maker of privacy software doesn’t think skeptically about the government.