I think miscommunication over the internet is the problem. As far as I can tell, as long as you're not acting offensive or something like that, Eph will work with you.
I can note many times Ephialtes had randomly come out first attacking my posted code then posting code he called better but would work slightly differently. It was back when he... trolled me. Now that he's a moderator, he has to set an example, which is probably part of the reason he doesn't do that anymore to me.
But, anyway, I think that's quite directly being offensive.