Fair. There is always this compromise between maximizing content per minute by following the script vs trading off the content for natural flow. Thanks for feedback, will pay attention to this in future interviews.
If you look at the HN ranking formula, it's (p - 1) / (t + 2)^1.5 where p = points, t = age in hours. The older your article is, the smaller the rank. Done to ensure the freshness of links.