This is exactly what the author is talking about. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes I like to trot out often at work - "There are two kinds of software: software people complain about, and software nobody uses." You see one way to look at it is "complaints", the other way to look at it is "engagement". Crappiness, for lack of a better word, creates engagement and that engagement can have network effects.
Works far better on my mobile device than the 99% of sites that override ability to zoom out, make the menus take up 2/3rds of the screen and wrap the text every 3 words in a giant font.
Literally scroll to the right it's fine
Sure, but it's still something I'd want to fix if it were my website.