I’ve never really understood what variations of the rejoinder “you are not the target user” are intended to accomplish, at least in conversations like this.
When discussing things like product strategy it makes some (more than a little) sense. But in a conversation about personal preference, what do you expect the reader to take away from it? “Oh okay, sorry, I didn’t realize I wasn’t meant to like this. I guess my opinion’s invalid.”
Who cares who the average user is, when someone is saying something doesn’t appeal to them? Is the sentiment some kind of scolding for not liking it? I sincerely don’t understand.
I think the remark is meant to address internet comments' tendency to jump from "this product doesn't meet my needs", to "consequently it is a bad / mismanaged product".
From the original comment: "The algorithms are still optimized for increasing sales and engagement, not improving recommendations (for the user)." That is an opinion about 'product strategy'. The answers, in this context, are confirming that 'not for the user' part. I find relevant to highlight that HN may not be the most representative crowd in this situation.
I do not use Spotify, nor I had for years. And I do not like the level of influence that all those algorithms have on the population decisions. So, it's not about protecting Spotify but an observation to try to add another point of view to the discussion.
I’ve never really understood what variations of the rejoinder “you are not the target user” are intended to accomplish, at least in conversations like this.
It's simply a reminder that when you work at scale you can't please everyone. Someone complaining that a feature doesn't work for them is not the same as saying it doesn't work.
On a site like HN the conversation is usually about the broader picture rather than individual complaints unless someone is responding directly to the CEO of a company. I think the CEO of Spotify posts here occasionally, so maybe he'll reply. The rest of us are talking about it in more general terms.
That is the most reasonable explanation. HN users are not the average user of Spotify.