> Hold on folks, it's now #181. It seems as though some form of exponential decay has been enabled by moderators.

Time-based exponential decay is the norm. Per the FAQ [1]:

How are stories ranked?

On the front page, by points divided by a power of the time since they were submitted.

Also, from the guidelines [2]:

Please don't post on HN to ask or tell us something (e.g. to ask us questions about Y Combinator, or to ask or complain about moderation). If you want to say something to us, please send it to [email protected].

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

While I understand this, we had a direct comparable front page item I mentioned that goes entirely against the decay. This is a case of accelerated decay enforced by an OP IMO.

I know you're probably pissed off but HN is a free service and they have no duty to you. Having said that, mods are usually upfront about things like this.

I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed for an answer.

The HN moderators have been very transparent about things like this. I expect you'll get an honest answer before long, without any need to lobby for one.