That was said about reddit some years ago and now reddit is clearly riddled with astroturfing and other manipulations. We don't know how big the problem on hn already is and how bad it will get. But it would be naive to think, that it doesn't happen here.
jonplackett|1 month ago
The most real benefit of HN vs Reddit is commenters who are actually knowledgeable in that field, who leave a comment or vote up an actually useful comment.