Not sure why this gets downvoted. But sometimes HN just cannot take the truth.
7 min was the third time I'd read your comment so I downvoted it.
Can't speak for anyone else but aye it's definitely because you posted the same thing thrice for me. The first version (topmost rated) of your comment doesn't seem to be downvoted
"Okay guys, the API is down, you have until it's back up to talk to me about pink pigeons (or any other unpredictable topic of the referees choice you couldn't batch responses to ahead of time) to raise my confidence that you are in fact not a bot"