Knowing about ROM flashing and being able to do it or wanting to spend the time on it are very different things.

The author specifically says they want their phone to be a reliable appliance. I do not think they have the appetite for reflashing the ROM, nor should a consumer be required to do so.

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This is from the website, this is not something an average person should attempt:

Open a terminal on your host computer, change to the directory where you saved device-flasher, and then run:

shasum -a 256 device-flasher.darwin

And ensure the result says 04b4cf9912d853e0f108b42a756fd74db7a11cc6c951e05820e96d28ce56e543.

Furthermore - should the user succeed in flashing CalyxOS, they will inevitably be faced at one point with something about their device that doesn't work quite right. Maybe it's tied to Google Play Services (and the g-apps shim that Calyx supports) or a banking app that won't pass the security checks and thusly, won't open.

I've not run Calyx myself, but those are issues I've personally experienced with other ROMs. If the author just wants a phone that works, this isn't the best option. I find the "is forcing me to.." a bit hyperbolic, but their point stands.

And you also void the warranty...

CalyxOS won't update the multiple binary blobs (drivers, firmwares) on your phone, so no that wouldn't change much to the article.

Plus countless other options which all work for Pixel devices. It's why I bought Google hardware, to install a custom ROM.

Funny how third-parties offer updates for free, where Google will not. I guess it's part of how Google makes money.