I disagree that i think mining for profit is gone or that you can't compete with the big PubCos, you can it's just not really with your bitaxe at home... You need to find an edge, and this means it really depends under what conditions you're mining,
I think what they mean by that is that to secure a chance to make a decent profit, there are too many lists you need to check, which is usually not worth it for the average joe. Especially if you're competing with a business that can sustain the loss of operation with no profits for a few months or more. Take a look at the previous posts too, I think the point is quite similar.