The thesis seems fair, but when you go to LayerVault's main landing you get this swirling, vertigo-like background canvas behind the main content. This hardly seems "cut ... down to the bone" nor seeking "the most impact with the fewest elements" as the article professes.

Granted marketing content has different usability requirements than functional software. But I'd argue that dizzying your prospective customers with swirling animations is counterproductive and not an example of "lean design".