It's serious, though I agree it's a bit muddled in all the memes and references.

The core point as I understood it: the internet is quickly blurring the line between a company and a group of friends working together. Two of the limiting factors are our communication tools and financial/corporate structures.

My take: as this model become more prevalent, more alternatives to traditional employment and education routes open up allowing creators, researchers, and engineers to work on interesting problems without having to find one another through educational institutions and corporations.