> Has the vibe really shifted so much among tech-literate people?
HN has largely shifted away from tech literacy and towards business literacy in recent years.
Needless to say that an internet where every user's real identity is easily verifiable at all times is very beneficial for most businesses, so it's natural to see that stance here.
You talk about tech literacy, but then conflate age verification with knowing someone's identity. You should see the work people are doing to perform age verification in a way that preserves privacy, for example the EU and Denmark.
HN has largely shifted away from tech literacy and towards business literacy in recent years.
Needless to say that an internet where every user's real identity is easily verifiable at all times is very beneficial for most businesses, so it's natural to see that stance here.