I don't think this is a case of that. I honestly think it's the author just looking for battle-tested things that have been around for so long, erroneously conc

I don't think this is a case of that. I honestly think it's the author just looking for battle-tested things that have been around for so long, erroneously concluding "they've been around so long, there must be potential for disruption here!", and then scouring for evidence to support this. Almost mindlessly searching for something to improve.