I think you're making the same mistake that the OP made - not considering that there was a person at the other end. People make mistakes, including acting like assholes, but they are still people at the end of the day.
Much like how the original post states, Steve Klabnik, Corey Haines and David Cramer's comments on this repository are out there, and now that includes the mob against them and their apologies after realising that numerous people were angry at them. Now that this shitstorm has spread to Hacker News and elsewhere it's something that all four parties will have associated to their online persona.