I think "idea" is getting overloaded here. The article isn't talking about new feature/product/tool ideas, but about what concepts to use to build those features. e.g. what data structures and algorithms to use.

So your last line agrees with the article, I think. They are saying that it's still important to curate ideas, and no longer important to read the code; the time you would have spent reading the code should be spent curating ideas.

Curating ideas requires experience and taste. Can you really develop that without looking at code? Compare Steve Jobs vs Joni Ive curating as a prime example of how taste without practical experience and context can lead things astray. And the worst of it is that it can take a while for the problem to be easily noticeable.

I completely agree with this you. The article is NOT about product ideas. Your parent has misunderstood the article.