While it's true that reading one article, be it on HN or TC or wherever else, won't make a huge difference, what makes a difference is the aggregate of gleaning what information you can over a long period of time. Much like most (real) classes, you can't really cram, but as you continually ingest information it becomes a part of you.
Coming from the business end of things before I started programming, I learned about IPOs not from business classes but from reading about which companies would IPO. I learned about vesting schedules and cap sheets by reading about people discussing these things. While it's taken years for me to feel like I understands most of the ins and outs, it's also something that you really should be learning second hand. You don't want to be talking to a potential investor and have to ask him what a cap sheet is.
It's not about, "I will read this and understand," it's about immersing yourself in the culture and picking things up as you go.
Coming from the business end of things before I started programming, I learned about IPOs not from business classes but from reading about which companies would IPO. I learned about vesting schedules and cap sheets by reading about people discussing these things. While it's taken years for me to feel like I understands most of the ins and outs, it's also something that you really should be learning second hand. You don't want to be talking to a potential investor and have to ask him what a cap sheet is.
It's not about, "I will read this and understand," it's about immersing yourself in the culture and picking things up as you go.