Comment by BoiledCabbage

Thanks, while we in the end may not agree - I do feel I understand your thinking now. Also agreed, we've probably reached the fruitful end of this discussion and this will be my last reply on it. I'll explain my thoughts similarly as you.

To me it seems more akin to someone saying "I'm launching a restaurant. I'll give you a free meal if you come and give me feedback on the dish, the decor, service...". This happens for a bit, then after a while people start coming in taking the free plate and going and eating it at a different restaurant.

To me it seems pretty reasonable to say "If you're taking the free meal you have to eat it here and give feedback".

That said, I do acknowledge you see it very differently and given how you see it I understand why you feel it's embarrassing.

Thanks for the discussion.