Yes, in the particular example presented in the article, the lone `malloc()` will work as expected without the placement new since the class is just being refer

Yes, in the particular example presented in the article, the lone `malloc()` will work as expected without the placement new since the class is just being referenced as a blob of memory (i.e., it's equivalent to a simple C struct) and the members are being set individually in `make_rational()`. That said, this territory of C and C++ compatibility can become a footgun really quickly with all types of undefined behavior.