While I agree with your view point, I think the celebrity mathematician status of Terrence Tao made it obvious to me that the title was referring to mathematical solutions e.g. solving a system of equations.
The analogy fails because the "solution" to a real world problem does not require solving the problem in a mathematical sense (i.e., fully tracing and analytically understanding the system) but rather intervening to make the problem go away.
For example, imagine your boss is harassing you. Terrance Tao says, ah, that is a complex system (two people interacting) as such we need a complex solution (a deep understanding of what lead to this occurrence, e.g., do you remind your boss of their unhappy childhood?) but the actual real world solution can be simple, e.g., change job.