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this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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TechTakes
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Big brain tech dude got yet another clueless take over at HackerNews etc? Here's the place to vent. Orange site, VC foolishness, all welcome.
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Ars Technica published a story about that nonsense of a github bot "posting" on its "blog" about human developers having rejected its "contributions" to matplotlib.
Ars Technica quote developer Scott Shambaugh extensively, like:
If you find that to be long-winded inanity, yep, you guessed it: Shambaugh never said that, the Ars Technica article itself is random chatbot output, and his "quotes" are all made up.
https://infosec.exchange/@mttaggart/116065340523529645
Ars Technica has removed the article, but mittaggart (linked above) saved a copy: https://mttaggart.neocities.org/ars-whoopsie
The editor in chief has an apology: https://arstechnica.com/staff/2026/02/editors-note-retraction-of-article-containing-fabricated-quotations/ -- the commenters are not happy.
The reporter in question wrote an explanation here: https://bsky.app/profile/benjedwards.com/post/3mewgow6ch22p
The AI part of the explanation is about what you'd expect from an AI enthusiast caught with his hand in the cookie jar and trying to blame the danger-tools as much as he can. Though it also shows that he felt compelled to work during an acute covid infection, and yikes to that work life balance.
The cheese has fully slipped off the cracker at Ars
should have glued it in place smh