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Comment by kioleanu | Hacker News Reader

That’s a very clickbaity title. I was reading the article and sharpening my pitchfork up until the middle when I had to stop and put it down (the metaphorical pitchfork)

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I don't know if I'd call it clickbait. Whimsically worded, sure, but the author did literally go from being a Director of design to an associate software developer so it doesn't seem inaccurate to call it a demotion.

This might be excessively nitpicky, but the use of the phrase "_got_ demoted" (emphasis mine) implies to me a lack of control over the situation. It's technically correct, but it sounds like it was a punishment rather than what it actually was (namely, a career choice).

Same. English isn't my first language so I'm not sure, but the title doesn't' seem sincere when the subtitle reads "Kristina Lustig, formerly our Director of Design, explains why she took a new role as an associate software developer"

English is my first language. I'm American on top of it. This is a clickbait title. It conveys an incorrect meaning. People can talk about formal definitions all they want - it doesn't matter. Language isn't always about formal definitions - it's more often about how people use it. In this case - the headline is being used to grab eyes, is clickbait, and is wrong about the contents of the article.

Your new headline would be better but it wouldn't have attracted any views.

This reminds me of a joke about a violist who finds a magic lamp and asks to become a better musician. Promotion depends on perspective.

Do you mean this joke? [1] Don't disrespect the violists!

[1] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ab5oht/a_violists_3_...)

Yes, subject to minor variations. The version I heard had him going from the back of the section in a community (amateur) orchestra to playing in the Toronto Symphony to leading the viola section in the Berlin Philharmonic -- and making the same wish ("make me a better musician") each time.

Yes, it isn't very clear about whether the demotion was chosen or not. "I followed my dreams to be demoted to software developer" or "I followed my dream of being demoted to..." would be much clearer.

The website's title is okay "to get demoted", it is the Hacker News title that is clickbait: "and got demoted".

It seems clear to me from the title that the demotion was deliberate. The content of the article was more or less exactly what I expected from the title, which seems to contradict the notion that it's clickbait.

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