He didn't say those interviews are necessary. He said that being willing to put up with them is necessary to "play" (by definition, otherwise you won't do them), even if it's not sufficient to "win".

Again, presenting this neutrally: the quote about the only way to win being not to play is clearly false. If you choose to play (choose to go through the whiteboard circus), you might win (get paid a lot of money at a large and stable tech company). You also might not, but that possibility is there for any interview.