I've noticed reporting/analytics people going extinct around my workplace as micro services make monitoring easier. There might be some pent up hostility towards the technology side

If you think telling colleagues not to "simply go and poke your reporting fingers into" things won't insult them or put them on a defensive footing, I encourage you to try it and closely note the reception you receive. In my experience, people do not appreciate being spoken to like that.

They didn't tell their colleagues to do that, they made a slightly humorous comment on a hacker news thread.

We’re colleagues by virtue of the fact that we’re members of the same profession.

Anyway, what’s the reason not to treat people on hackernews with the same respect you’d treat a coworker with?