I agree with you. I'm wasn't on the receiving end of it though, so I'm not going to judge him for changing his position based on what he saw as real pressure.
EDIT:
HN won't let me reply to this thread anymore but, I don't think he changed his mind given his own words on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DRichardHipp/status/1054901364181159941
"Giving in" seems more accurate than changing his mind.