I don't fault Randall for his comics, although maybe he should do an XKCD where he adds a disclaimer that not all situations fit any particular XKCD. (Then people could refer to that XKCD number and feel REALLY SMART.)
Techbros often misuse XKCDs (or memes in general) as a kind of "thought terminating cliche", especially the infamous 927 about standards. Just cite the XKCD and walk away--no need to consider the issues in depth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9
@wikicliff @gob @glyph @ben_hr @mhoye ok but worth remembering that "this is a thought terminating cliché" is, itself, a thought terminating cliché, including, unfortunately, this mention.