I'm not sure what you're driving at, because she clearly doesn't think that "masks" as such are ineffective - just the cloth/surgical masks -- she advocates N95/KN95. Which of course are what everyone should be wearing now (in close public settings), by this point.
Also, the discussion in that podcast is a bit strange (for a bunch of reasons). For one thing, it seems to reduce the "mask question" to one of individual (or close family) risk -- "If I'm comfortable with the risk level (as affects me and my family), I should be able to decide whether to wear a mask or not (paraphrasing)" -- and completely sidesteps the community risk issue (especially in crowded public settings). Which is very different, and is of course what mask mandates (whether you agree with them or not) are designed to address.
For another, it dwells a lot on the "shame" and (what they think of) as quasi-religious aspects of mask wearing - this idea that people expect others to wear masks because those who do not are "unclean". Which may be what some people think, but to suggest that this is what most people think or that this should be part of the policy debate is just ... werid.
Please don't cross into personal attack or name-calling, and please don't take HN threads further into flamewar. It's not what this site is for, and it destroys what it is for.
If you actually listened to it and still missed the point that badly then I can only conclude you are intentionally misunderstanding to push an irrational, unscientific narrative.
Also, the discussion in that podcast is a bit strange (for a bunch of reasons). For one thing, it seems to reduce the "mask question" to one of individual (or close family) risk -- "If I'm comfortable with the risk level (as affects me and my family), I should be able to decide whether to wear a mask or not (paraphrasing)" -- and completely sidesteps the community risk issue (especially in crowded public settings). Which is very different, and is of course what mask mandates (whether you agree with them or not) are designed to address.
For another, it dwells a lot on the "shame" and (what they think of) as quasi-religious aspects of mask wearing - this idea that people expect others to wear masks because those who do not are "unclean". Which may be what some people think, but to suggest that this is what most people think or that this should be part of the policy debate is just ... werid.