Canceling Hey: A Response to DHH's Wolves, Sheep, and Gypsies Post

Why the Author Cancelled Hey

Chad Nauseam cancelled his Hey subscription because he found DHH's blog post offensive and incompatible with his values.

Background on Hey and DHH

Hey is an email service offered by Basecamp, the company co‑founded by DHH (David Heinemeier Hansson), the creator of Ruby on Rails.

The Controversial DHH Post

DHH published a blog post titled "Wolves, Sheep, and Gypsies" that used animal metaphors to discuss immigration and public order.

the discussed blogpost https://world.hey.com/dhh/wolves-sheep-and-gypsies-ba44af6a

Commenters noted that the post referred to "gypsies" in a way that many interpreted as a slur against Romani people.

Community Reaction on Hacker News

The Hacker News discussion highlighted a split between those who saw the post as a legitimate critique of immigration policy and those who viewed it as racist.

created by industry legend DHH DHH = david heinemeier hansson (ruby on rails creator)

Some argued that the language was harmful:

This is trying far too hard to be charitable. Mistake theory is great, and it's good that the article mentions it, but it then also presents sufficient evidence to prove, or at least substantiate, malice.

Others defended the right to discuss immigration:

I think DHH's opinion is a very common sentiment in Europe. "Gypsies" are a very European thing.

A few pointed out the potential offensiveness of the term:

I was disappointed to read this and hear language and using allusions that parallel arguments made by hate groups.

Implications for Users and the Service

The author's decision to cancel Hey illustrates how individual users may respond to perceived ethical issues with a service's leadership.

Hey is the only way I can have a public, usable email account anymore. I maintain a self-hosted whitelist-only email account for sensitive work but email for other purposes just isn't tenable anymore.

The thread shows that users weigh both product utility and the social impact of the people behind the tools they use.