On the one hand, the article's title that "solutions should be written in such a way that the intent is clear" makes sense for code which needs to be read and maintained. e.g. Martin Fowler suggests even 1 line of code methods can be useful if they describe a distinct intent. https://martinfowler.com/bliki/FunctionLength.html

But I don't think the point is well made with a contrived whiteboard-interview style problem.