That is exactly it: People whose first reaction was jealousy are now projecting jealousy onto everyone else. I'm not jealous of this individual at all (though I, like most, would love to be in the same position). But being professionals in this field we naturally do try to figure out where the money is at (trying to yield hints at how we can get some of that), and when it is irrational it confuses and potentially angers us. This ridiculous canard that we can never critique a story without being jealous is obnoxious.

Lots of the comments below read like they're full of bitterness and jealousy to me, I suspect the comment is targeted at them rather than the original article.

Simply because of the fact that in the first sentence that it mentions that he is 17 years old. Companies get acquired all of the time every day, but those don't warrant posts on HN mentioning how young the employees are. Hence the jealousy.

Because there is a fact mentioned that is out of the ordinary compared to other acquisitions, that makes it jealousy?

I think you should have the top comment - but I am willing to admit I'm jealous anyway. :) Jealous, but thankful that I was never made a millionaire at age 17...because that 17 year old will no longer get to see what the real world is like.