Good article, Sarah!
I can see why they'd think that. The audience there is pretty much hardcore geeks. If you throw one of those folks a big WordPress site when they've never used it before, you bet they'll holler! It's too big and confusing, yet not nearly as hardcore as Ruby, Python, or [insert other language or platform here]. And there's a sizeable contingent for whom all PHP sucks. :-)

I'm a super WordPress fan, but I have my own list of minor complaints. But no total deal-breakers, and once you've built something large with a big following, un-ringing all those bells isn't feasible. I also have used a lot of CMS systems, so I have a basis of comparison beyond "the little voices that tell me my WP is the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world!"

To me it's definitely useful to have outside viewpoints. It can be disturbing to see criticism, but it's also very useful to be informed before people start eating your lunch.

Cheers, Dave