The fact that nmap/sectools is still in fact on Linode, right now, the fact that moxie still uses it, as well as jacob and other superstars are using it in 2016 isn't a testament to what they think? And, I think hdm still uses linode for a lot of things. So do many other security folks I hang out with.
I really think that if it was some other VPS, they could not have done much better. You remember the outages that Amazon had? It's just a matter of fact the way I see it, these attacks happen. We learn from it, resilience is built. Until a new type of attack takes place, and then the process repeats. I understand that uptime can't be 100% all the time -- the 1 or 2 days it was down in 2015 was an inconvenience, but not totally unacceptable. I also understand that if you're against very determined attackers, it's pretty tough. How will any of the other VPSs fare when the attacker happens to have an 0day or something?
By the way, I noticed a few years ago that bitcoin-related startups were likely to use Linode. That makes linode a huuuuuuge target. I really don't think that if it was some other VPS in the crosshairs, these determined attackers could have been stopped 3 or 4 years ago with the ferocity and resourcefulness they seemed to be equipped with.
I think you should ask HD and Fyodor again what they think about Linode in 2016.