When I was a teenager, years before I had dedicated myself to studying computer science, I wanted to learn how to make websites. Out of the many competing options, I found Ruby on Rails to be incredibly enticing. The purported speed with which high-quality websites could be developed was a big draw. It rested firmly on the shoulders of convention over configuration. I inspected the conventions and they taught me much about how websites were, or at least could have been, built. It all seemed so sane. As somebody deeply prone to analysis paralysis, it offered the guidance that I desperately needed. Because of this, I grew to respect David Heinemeier Hansson as a great thinker. I was fascinated by the idea that clear thinking, a computer, and consistency could function like some sort of conjuration magic. We can produce something valuable with only labor as the input. DHH was something of an idol for me in this regard. He had done what I dreamed of and produced software that millions of people found valuable.
Perhaps it's only natural that I was excited when he announced HEY. I agreed with the premise. Email *does* suck (even today), and I thought that maybe HEY could fix it. I signed up and was whelmed. The product honestly didn't spark much joy in me. The features didn't feel like they had fixed email. Realistically, HEY is just email with sender blocking, spam filtering, folders, etc. Slightly more opinionated, I guess, but really there are no new ideas to be found in there. I was happy enough to support DHH and have a cool domain though, so I stuck around.
At least, I did until something fundamental shifted; I no longer respect DHH. If you're terminally online, like me, then you already know that DHH has some very controversial opinions. If you're not, then I'll summarize them for you. DHH believes that Europe belongs to white people and that immigrants are largely stupid criminals. I'll link a few examples from his blog for you, but I'll refrain from direct quotes because you're better off reading them for yourself. [0][1][2]
I'm not going to say that immigration is a simple topic and that there are objectively correct solutions. I won't say it because, unlike DHH, I can exercise my ability to think critically and recognize that every case is unique. Isn't that the ultimate sign of critical thinking: the ability to recognize that the world is not and has never been black and white? There is nuance in everything. That's what I find so sad about this. I had looked up to him as somebody so objectively capable of critical thinking and yet... here he is loudly proclaiming that he's not capable of holding the nuance of our crazy world.
I was a little worried about leaving HEY. After years of sender blocking, I had this fear that I would be hit with a huge wave of spam the second those filters were removed. I don't want to do any more work than is strictly necessary and I imagined that to be quite a lot of work. It was nothing more than I had imagined, though. I switched to Proton Mail and haven't had any issues. There has been no flood of spam. I have had to unsubscribe from some lists and block a few senders. Nothing more than an hour of work or so.
I would also like to note that HEY has made it exceptionally easy for me to leave. Downloading my data was easy, my old address still forwards mail to the new one, and the support staff were very pleasant in processing a refund for me because I had accidentally missed the deadline to cancel my annual plan. HEY is very pro-user, and I do like that; I just can't separate the art from the artist.