Everybody I know who visited the US was bewildered.
Some places where you pay at the counter would have a tip jar, or even a small electronic device you tap your card on to tip a fixed amount. These are ignored by most people.
I've personally stopped tipping in most places I go to. I might leave 10% at a high-end restaurant with really good service, but in general I leave a very minimal tip at sit-down restaurants, and pretty much never leave any tip for any sort of takeout/counter service.
I know the wait staff see that and think I'm an asshole, and I don't care. I'm fine with being an asshole to avoid getting fleeced, and I've not yet had any issues with service, even on return visits.
His rant also convinced other people on that table because there was no flaw in his reasoning.
Sure, if I go to a nice restaurant, and the waiter chats me up, figures out what I like, suggests some dishes, does some non-standard stuff to make my experience at the restaurant memorable -- I will tip that. But if all you're doing as a waiter in my locale is tapping a few buttons on your POS handheld and then later bringing over a couple of plates, I don't see that as being worth much of a tip.
(I'm Russian who lurks in the English-speaking segment of the internet way too much)