In retrospect, the episode sullied the reputation of everyone involved. If Perelman were less private it likely would’ve created less space for others to fill the space. It made everyone, including medalists like Hamilton and Yau, look like publicity starved careerists. I don’t have an opinion about whether careerism or a need for publicity is bad but I can confidently say that both are viewed negatively inside the mathematics community. It was a weird situation.