You are doing the thing of asking if I read the article without actually directly asking if I read the article. Please don't do that, at least without carefully reading the comment that you're replying to.
My specific point was that the article doesn't appear to support the assertions that it makes about brand loyalty.
I'm simply following the HN guidelines on the subject which prohibit directly asking if people have read the article.
It's a pretty bad guideline in my opinion but my opinion isn't worth shit here.
I'll re-read your comment when I have more time. Sorry if I missed the point.
Most people who bother to comment on HN have an interesting opinion, and I value yours.
The point of that guideline is to ensure that the conversation is substantive. Repeating points from the article with an assertion that those points are indeed in the article doesn't really add to the conversation and it's something that I do find frustrating on HN, which is why I mentioned it. I agree that it isn't a great guideline.