It still is free. No one is forcing anyone to use LLMs to learn to code.
Getting the most out of LLM tooling is a real skill that needs practice just like any other
My view is that the author is talking about having a knowledge of career-relevant skills, developed for free.
If you can't develop the skills to be competitive in an interview without using LLMs, then you are forced by societal factors to use the LLMs.
there has always been a moat, with varying levels of depth. do you have electricity? do you have a computer? can you afford internet?