I am pretty sure that you are overplaying the 'poor github bullied by Zed' angle.
Oh, because then he wouldn't get any publicity. Doing support and keeping a startup in a good position despite outspoken users (who don't pay for the service) is a completely thankless job. I give github a ton of credit for responding well over a holiday weekend to what amounts to a screaming child. Not many other companies would do that.
That's why github rocks.
I read your post and pretty much all I hear is a vaguely undirected bitterness and some jealous whining, and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY.
Seriously, Dont worry yourself on their behalf.
If Github didn't want to implement that feature, they wouldn't have done it.
Zed has about as much power over them as I do over you.
Whatever other characteristics he may have, Zed certainly has a knack for bringing forth the shrieking sister in a certain type of personality.