OTA means over the air. They didn't "flash" the firmware like you'd expect from a traditional OEM, where you have to bring the car to the dealership to get your firmware updated. It happened overnight in the garage, without any customer needing to do anything.

"A recall is a recall" seems a little disingenuous; not all recalls are created equally, and some are handled faster/better than others.

The vehicles were not sent back, hence the name "recall" is a bit of a misnomer. That's just the regulatory term for making a safety improvement to the car. While technically correct, it will mislead many people.

The bad reporting on the company is an unfortunate, old, and tired pattern. Reddit's enthusiasm for it is a bit newer.