I think you both are right and therefore you both have answers to your own question. The freelancer model is supposedly ideal: the company pays for a project, t

I think you both are right and therefore you both have answers to your own question. The freelancer model is supposedly ideal: the company pays for a project, the engineer works on it for a definite time, and then both move on. No internal politics, promotions, boring projects, relocations, layoffs, etc. The price to pay is that you have to find a job every 3-9 months, and that's not easy, even if your skillset is in high demand. You'd have to invest a significant amount of time. Conversely, the company couldn't build upon assets that they invested heavily in to acquire (job postings, resume screenings, interviews, offers, training, firing, etc.). If a reliable 3rd party could act as the agent for engineers, vetting their skills and credentials, maybe this market could become more fluid, but even if the benefits would be huge, the article clearly explains why the environment is not favorable.