To reply to it: I'm pretty sure that a) they don't resent Slowe, and b) that it seemed like a good idea at the time. I would trust PG not to do any forcing of any of his startups.
I haven't heard anyone mention this aspect: what did Aaron Swartz's "whiz-kid" status contribute to the acquisition? It had to have helped. Four co-founders that includes a genuine "whiz-kid" from Stanford is worth more than two unproven guys from University of Virgina (at least to the suits that do acquisitions for media companies). Wired has even written about Aaron.
Well I never claim to be good at programming, or much of anything. In fact I've found that trying to improve your skills while thinking of yourself as only marginally capable is great inspiration to keep trying harder, even when you've surpassed the best. Is this not a defining characteristic of some of the most talented?
He can claim not to be a programmer or entrepreneur and that's just fine - But his actions speak louder than words.
By the way, webpy is great. It will be the foundation of many web products. Who gives a damn if everyone's going to ignore the value that it brought to reddit.
