You didn't take his statements as he said them. He said, "as a rule, I think", but you dropped that part, increasing the drama and giving you something to yell at. The guy was clearly indicating a general skepticism of Gladwell, not saying that every single sentence he had ever written was false.
Protip: If somebody apparently smart says something that you interpret as being completely idiotic, take some time to see if you can find another interpretation.
I'd go further recommend you do that for anyone, not just people you know are smart. You never know what random useful thing someone else knows that you don't. But do prioritize it for the ones you know are smart.
Why does the precursor "as a rule..." change anything?
I have not increased the drama at all. Someone posted a totally hyperbolic statement. I called them on it. It was upvoted numerous times I suspect because a consensus agrees with me.
It is not intelligent to tear down popular things because they are popular. You could have very well removed Gladwell and added Apple, Microsoft or French wine.
I haven't yelled, have I?
Your protip is baffling. Who is apparently smart? The OP? How have you reached that conclusion? By the possession of a HN account?
My heuristic is that non-anonymous persons get more conversational leeway. I'm more willing to invest time in conversations with people who have invested in their identity.
Your current level of argumentative dickishness would probably disqualify you as a useful interlocutor for me regardless of how much you stand behind your words. E.g., the "you never asked me my name" bullshit. So I'm done with you.
Protip: If somebody apparently smart says something that you interpret as being completely idiotic, take some time to see if you can find another interpretation.