I would agree with him but this only applies to the 1% of companies that are "awesome" and only hire "awesome" employees (and where the existing employees think

I would agree with him but this only applies to the 1% of companies that are "awesome" and only hire "awesome" employees (and where the existing employees think like founders and only have the good of the company in mind). Most companies aren't like that, and also most employees are not awesome, they're average. Referral bonuses are a great way to save money on recruiters while at the same time getting better employees.