I think the point of the article is that Kudzu isn't really a threat and hasn't taken over nearly as much as people perceive.
The trick with Kudzu is that, unlike ligustrum sinense, it invades in a much more literal sense, covering both other plants and the ground itself as far as it can. It 'universally' impedes the growth of other plants, and arguably makes terrain less traversal (if only because it covers what's underneath).
At some time, in the last 30 years, it exploded.