Hum... HN is minimalist. It has a large share of web site makers in its users, and the one esthetic strategy that makers can always agree on is minimalism.

The web in general is hyperoptimized. Sites that do not fit all the requirements for showing on Google searches do not get visitors, and do not count over the overall web esthetic. If you look deeper, it's easy to notice that the all-about-business of the web is very different from the all-about-the-business of HN.