I suppose developers are most likely to speak up when Apple has applied the rejection. And that is when you want a lifeline the most -- public shaming doesn't necessarily help your friendly HN-reading Apple employee to reach out and make a case.
The App store rules don't seem that vague -- just draconian. Sure, 30% of a paid app. IAP through a nice end-to-end Apple experience, where consumers don't have to enter any new information, are 30%? Make sense.
Can't offer IAP yourself? I can go either way, but to me this is the line where Apple is turning the screws. Boy do they turn them. Can't offer subscriptions outside the app. Can't link to other options for payment. Can't have a front end to a SaaS app that is primarily used on other platforms. Can't even mention the fact that Apple is taking a cut.
The app store rules do seem somewhat arbitrarily enforced. Ok, your 1.0 goes in but a critical bugfix? Now we shake you down.
If I were affected by this, especially for a subscription app I'd be contacting other affected parties and trying to educate the public on exactly why their subscriptions cost $14.28 instead of $9.99
Through Google SEO, of course, instead of inside the app, because Apple restricts what you say in the app about app store pricing.