Note this was written by a "software engineer". A designer would have used white space for separation, not a line.
https://store.nytimes.com/cdn/shop/products/new-york-times-f...
If you’re against established, commonly accepted best practices for design, then I can’t argue with you — everyone is entitled to their own opinions, as unpopular as they may be.
Obviously that's how a "designer" or "software engineer" would display items that require whitespace between them.
This proposal is for when you do want something other whitespace.
Going hard on whitespace is just a visual trend that'll undoubtedly change in the future again. It wasn't that long ago that designers went all in on glossy 3D effects with hard separators for basic UI design. You cannot derive someone's qualifications from a subjective aesthetical choice like that.