
Stack Overflow - The Software Community That Josh Heyer Built - gortok
https://georgestocker.com/2020/01/14/the-software-community-that-josh-heyer-built/
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uberman
These days I almost never login to participate on Stack Exchange, however,
when I saw that Shog9 had been suddenly fired I felt compelled to authenticate
and add my voice to the chorus of shocked supporters.

The one ray of light in all of this is that Microsoft's Scott Hanselman
replied in less than an hour inviting Shog9 to speak to him (presumably about
a position at Microsoft). I have always respected Hanselman, not just for his
technical and blogging skills but because he is a dad and highlights the
importance of his family. I raise my coffee mug to both Heyer and Hanselman as
class acts and wish them success or finding a way to work together.

The specter this raises for me on the other hand is the shabby treatment of
yet an additional long time community member by Stack Exchange. While nothing
has been communicated by them, I am assuming (rightly or wrongly) that Shog9
was dismissed for not following the recent edict about the use of pronouns and
specifically about banning gender neutral language use. There could of course
be plenty of other reasons, but this is the recent hot button issue on Stack
Exchange and has already lead to the ejection and/or resignation of a dozen
moderators or more.

Every time I feel like Stack Exchange has reached a new low point they seem to
go out of their way to dig deeper. It makes me kind of sad.

