For me, I find value in knowing I got a welcome email as a subtle confirmation that I entered my correct details, and if I didn't, I have a way to recover it. I can now safely forget the name of the can't-quite-remember-how-they-spelt-it-startup domain name, my password, username, etc, knowing that I did get my email registered with the company and I have a record of it.

But the article isn't saying to ditch it, it's saying to use that opportunity for something much better. This is a good idea when the goal of it has a benefit to the user. It also builds more value to your brand by being a real entity backed by real people.