I don't know when all this happened, or when this interview was, but while I'm certainly not always 'backed up', there really is very little excuse for loss now

I don't know when all this happened, or when this interview was, but while I'm certainly not always 'backed up', there really is very little excuse for loss nowadays. Between Github, S3, Dropbox, etc., it just about takes effort to be in a position to lose data. That said, I don't mean to fault the author as much as I want to encourage everybody to start using the tools available as part of their every day routine. If you're in a position now where catastrophe to a hard drive or a stolen laptop could affect your business in any way, you're doing it wrong, and it takes practice and regiment to correct, so start correcting it now, or you never will until it's too late.