Unfortunately, he had a years' long public record of pro pedophilia statements versus, as far as I know, only a single post mentioning his change of heart in 2016. Being an awkward nerd doesn't grant one a "get out of social consequences" card, especially when one is a public figure whose job is political advocacy.

If he'd put as much effort into distancing himself from his past beliefs as he did advocating for them, he likely wouldn't have found himself in the position where no one was willing to grant him the benefit of the doubt when he footgunned himself and MIT with an awkward, tediously pedantic argument on the nature of consent. What happened to him wasn't a smear campaign by enemies of free software, or a witch-hunt by prudish SJWs who hate neuro-atypicals, it was inevitable.