I only saw one mention of HN's stereotypical in-group (the gray tribe) in this already massive thread, so I suspect the author's conclusion (that it's painful to be honestly critical of your own in-group) is spot-on.

Here's an attempt at criticism of the gray tribe. Writing it felt a little uncomfortable, maybe I have one foot in the gray tribe and the other foot somewhere else. If this post doesn't get downvoted to 5% opacity then I wasn't honest enough:

1. We rail about over-complicated systems yet we inevitably make them more complex.

2. We claim to love precision but one of our most important values is "progress".

3. We're just as nepotistic as everyone else but we claim to be a meritocracy.

4. We think we're good problem solvers but we just might be better at making them.

5. We think growth is sustainable.