I appreciate your comment and think it's very truthful (speaking as someone who has worked in a bunch of different environments). I think your last point though is the most important. There's still personal agency in the situation (though you do give realistic outliers when it can be tough).

I think it's mostly the tone I don't like about this article. It speaks to a defeastism that feels infectious at the moment. It feels very contrary to the normal spirit of communities like HN, which overall I've witnessed being someone positive.