You don't need karma to post, but you need a minimum of 31 karma to flag submissions, and 501 karma to downvote a comment. You can also change the color of the top bar (in your profile settings) after 251 karma.

31 also enables vouch if it hasn’t been explicitly inhibited on your account.

https://blog.ycombinator.com/two-hn-announcements/

Only if you’re a basement dwelling dweeb. I wear my -8 karma with pride. Read a post on here the other day where the OP asked an unfiltered AI to review HN. It was a brutal takedown — and spot on.

It’s basically become an AI blowjobfest around here, and if you’re not an AI sycophant, have something negative to say about it … the sycophants dogpile.

You already posted 4 times. Not all post get upvotes.

Some general recommendations https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html