Calling the whole computer "the CPU" was very common in the 90s. I believe the author of the article deliberately misused the term to invoke 90s vibes and moods.

Edit: Also common at the time was calling monitors "the computer".

If I had to guess, Intel's marketing department played a significant role in quashing the misuse of 'CPU', with their "Intel Inside" stickers and marketing. "Intel Inside" got people to understand that an Intel CPU was something that existed inside their computer, and was not the computer itself. The general public gradually became aware that their computer was "a dell" and inside it somewhere was an Intel CPU.

> I hate to be that guy

Then don't be that guy. Hacker News discourages nitpicking a single thing from the article in the comments.