The Hacker News guidelines have stated since the beginning:
> Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic.
It has been clear that in 2025, this guideline is no longer adequate. The political ascent of Elon Musk/DOGE, as silly as it is, has far reaching implications for both the tech world and the US.
Submissions about his latest political actions both a) get upvotes very quickly due to their importance and impact and b) get flagkilled very quickly due to the politics rule.
So let's take it to a poll. (I have no affiliation with HN or YC so the results won't matter, but it's worthy of a Sunday discussion)
> Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic.
It has been clear that in 2025, this guideline is no longer adequate. The political ascent of Elon Musk/DOGE, as silly as it is, has far reaching implications for both the tech world and the US.
Submissions about his latest political actions both a) get upvotes very quickly due to their importance and impact and b) get flagkilled very quickly due to the politics rule.
So let's take it to a poll. (I have no affiliation with HN or YC so the results won't matter, but it's worthy of a Sunday discussion)