I agree, a lot of this sounds like he just found bad freelancers. I have been contacted in multiple occasions by people who wanted to launch their own startup and wanted to hire me to write it, but it was clear that they didn't have all the business details ironed out. I advised them to get feedback first, then try for an MVP based on that feedback, and then come to me for implementation. They were all very happy with this, because it's good advice they hadn't considered, and it's free.
Also, working as a freelancer right now (although in a more long-term role), I definitely am concerned about code quality and the thing I'm making working well, because I'm the one who's working on it. Writing unmaintainable code on purpose is not only unethical, but it comes back to bite you in the ass when you have to maintain it. Thankfully, I have no shortage of work at the moment, so it wouldn't be my dream job to have to work on an unmaintainable mess, much less so when I created it.
Also, working as a freelancer right now (although in a more long-term role), I definitely am concerned about code quality and the thing I'm making working well, because I'm the one who's working on it. Writing unmaintainable code on purpose is not only unethical, but it comes back to bite you in the ass when you have to maintain it. Thankfully, I have no shortage of work at the moment, so it wouldn't be my dream job to have to work on an unmaintainable mess, much less so when I created it.
I disagree with the article a lot.