https://winteriscoming.net/2023/03/26/brandon-sanderson-responds-bizarrely-insulting-wired-profile/
The article just seemed unhinged and insane, but I have enough experience now to know that often writers have an agenda for a story before they have facts. An honest writer will allow the facts to guide the story, but a dishonest one - for example, one looking to write a hit piece, but who ultimately finds nothing nefarious to talk about - will just write the story they want to write anyway.
When I was in grad school, I scored a documentary for a girl who clearly wanted to expose the dark underbelly of the Bronx Zoo. I got the impression she just thought zoos were evil as a concept. But then all the footage she actually shot showed animals being very well taken care of, zookeepers who cared a ton about their jobs, and patrons who had a wonderful time experiencing wildlife they'd never otherwise get to see.
My initial draft of the score reflected that, but she didn't accept it, so she kept demanding that the music get darker because that was the last remaining option she could employ to "fix" the positive tone. The result is very melancholy score, paired with very upbeat imagery and the irony is jarring and false.
All because the filmmaker did not want to let go of her preconceptions and tell the truth.
I think the same thing happened here. Wired wanted to expose Sanderson as an asshole who mistreats people and "doesn't deserve" his massive success. But they found that he was sweet, honest, kind, and genuinely loves telling stories about the worlds living inside his head. And yet, instead of telling that story, the writer still attempted to publish a hit piece and it failed.
Fortunately, it has backfired spectacularly and now all we're talking about is how stupid and mean the Wired article is and how incredibly magnanimous Sanderson's response has been.