A PhD is a piece of paper, not something that elevates the holder to the position of a deity. I don't think it should even be mentioned as something that might temper your criticism.

(General comment only, I haven't actually read the article yet).

PhD's who do silly things deserve more criticism because they are supposed to know better, and its funny watching their reaction that you dare.

Exactly what I would expect from a lot of the crowd who flaunts their PhD title as part of their name.

Yea but that's okay right... people can write that. It's actually probably more effective than an "objective" piece. It's persuasive because the author's clearly loves the vibe, and describes it in a weirdly beautiful way. Which got me to buy into it, as a software developer myself. And the contrast with how the valley is portrayed normally is refreshing. (FD I don't live there, but I did really like this piece.)