I couldn't agree more. Simply spending the time to understand why you are testing certain elements is valuable on it's own.

The author doesn't mention what kind of tests were performed, but often when I read about the "futility" of A/B testing, it's usually due to lack of up front preparation and discussion of the tests true objectives. So the classic "red button vs. green button" might get you a result in the testing software, but it doesn't necessarily translate to more sales/leads or whatever the ultimate goal is.