I think it's off base to blame someone that has meager personnel running such a highly trafficked site, especially since Conde Nast is/was reluctant to hire more. Read his blogs on his dedication to putting out fires. He didn't get enough resources to manage the complexity. I think most of HN's readers would hire him in a heartbeat, if they only got the chance.

This is the reason that you're getting downvoted, not because people think it's stable.