Click-bait headline aside, the learning here is that the whole point of a startup is to burn cash building an asset. That point is lost on many here who belittle the well-funded, money-losing enterprise. If you are not burning cash, that means you've run out of ideas (or ability) on how to effectively deploy resources.
What is interesting in the article is the 4 quadrant analysis that Thiel uses a lot in his book.