Read the article, it actually raises some fascinating points that are agnostic to the possibility that he may be financially well off.
Is this really leading edge ... whatever it is supposed to be:
"The popular horse-switching fantasy answer is retraining. “Go back to school and become an engineer.” In theory, yes. In practice, rarely. The jump from an assembly-line worker to an engineer requires years of schooling and a different educational foundation."
They might as well pat the person who is losing their livelihood on the head and say "there, there, it will all come good in the wash".