It’s certainly cheaper, which I guess is the bottom line if Stern (or other manufacturer) did this. I do hope the full story comes out. The people at K’s company who got the complaint don’t owe any confidentiality to the complainer, so it seems possible they will talk at some point—maybe after a few adult beverages at the next office holiday party.

“Rot in hell” gets the point across nicely IMHO.

The bottom line is that you have a conflict of interest in being both a distributor who makes a living selling pinball machines and a "pinball journalist" who purports to offer objective opinions about the same pinball machines. That's not any sort of judgment on you or your character. It's just a fact. Government employees, for example (well, except maybe for one...), are not allowed to hold financial interests in companies in industries they regulate. Even if people may be able to offer valid, accurate opinions/decisions despite the conflict, there is always going to be doubt about the true motive if there is a conflict of interest--or as they say in my line of work "an appearance of impropriety."

That's not to say you don't have a lot to offer in your podcasts, but many are going to prefer an objective voice when they are looking for reviews of games and accessories.

I am in no way attacking Zach and appreciate everything he has done for the hobby. I was just pointing out an inherent conflict of interest. Some people will care, some people will not. I really enjoy the content but take the views with a grain of salt.