hn is not optimized (thank good) and didn’t change in forever. There is also no monetizing, it doesn’t have ads nor subscription, and if it were more popular it would be more expensive to host.
Instead look at reddit is desperately trying (inline ads, chat, avatars, forcing app use)
> There is also no monetizing, it doesn’t have ads nor subscription...
This is false. HN is hosted by YC, and as such promotes YC ventures. On the front page right now is the following link (with disallowed comments and upvotes):
You don’t think this is optimized for for engagement? Don’t let the beige design fool you.