Even more so when it's a major topic with hundreds of upvotes and comments. Often the top comment of big big big stories on HN tends to be responsible for around 25% of total thread comments, if not more.
Niche stories with less attention tend to have a more rounded discussion with a larger number of parent comments relative to replies.
Niche stories with less attention tend to have a more rounded discussion with a larger number of parent comments relative to replies.