This is just another move from mega corps to tricking us in to paying a subscription for everything and never owning anything. Owning pretty much always ends up cheaper if you will have the item for a long time.

Renting only makes sense for short term needs. I don't need to buy expensive equipment I only use once a year so renting that makes sense but for a couch it makes far more sense to buy it outright and use it for 10+ years rather than pay constantly for it.

I suspect that even this article itself is a hidden marketing move to change social norms so people think renting is the cool new thing to show off.