Someone who is underperforming should be informed specifically how they are underperforming and what they can do to become an excellent performer. They may not be aware they are underperforming or believe they are overperfomlng but they are doing the wrong thing. Having open and honest discussions with people, giving them chances, offering guidance/training, and treating people like adults is how you build a company that is not full of "losers".
It's not being lazy to work with an underperforming employee to turn that around it's lazy to just fire them because to you they appear to be a "loser".
Positivity is super important especially when you are a manager. This article has such a negative tone it's disappointing that it's author might actually be a manager some place.
Additionally comparing poorly performing employees with serious drug addiction is just not super cool.