Can anyone tell if me there's ever been a substantial conversatino about this topic on HN? I see occasional threads that more or less whisper about it but never a major post where people really discuss it openly.
Its pretty much impossible to have a substantial discussion because the facts (beyond the fact of the allegations) are opaque. Its a highly emotionally charged issue involving a divisive figure where pretty much no one has any access to useful facts. Discussions are destined to be all noise, no signal.
Harvey Weinstein had evidence and was convicted of rape.
Kevin Spacey had many people accuse him. But he was cleared of all charges, and no-one seems to have evidence. Honestly, I suspect he was an innocent victim of #MeToo (an overshot of the direction that rightfully convicted people like Weinstein), and may get a revival soon (the last charges were settled in March, see the vibe of https://old.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/1q45z9e/cmv_n...)
Altman has an accusation from one person with no evidence.
> That wasn't really the vibe in 2016 with Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey.
It's not a vibe, its a factual description of the circumstances.
Not sure what the comparison to Weinstein and Spacey in the year prior to the main accusations against either becoming public is supposed to be about, but the accusations against either, when they became public, were substantially different in scope and evidence publicly available to those against Altman. Which is not a statement on the merits of the accusations against Altman, but it is relevant to the potential for meaningful, substantive public discussion.
Nobody wants to be subject of a false SA accusation, leave alone something as dramatic as this.
So It's very natural for people to give benefit of doubt and stay silent when these allegations have not been proven. Even those who absolutely hate Sam Altman for other reasons.
Using eyewitnesses to corroborate as much of her story as possible, plus any artifacts generated during the years of abuse (medical records, therapist notes, texts/letters to friends, diary entries, etc.).