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The article is very hyperbolic, and I don't think that the author meant to say that networking is unimportant. I think he was trying to say that your friends are more important for determining your success than your network.

And I agree with that. Your friends, much more than your network, define your outlook on life, your general attitude towards various successes and failures, the things you place the most importance in. If all of your friends are get-out-there-and-do-something people, it will rub off on you, even if not to the same extreme.

Furthermore, it's much easier to do something extreme or different if you have a friend group that wants to do it with you. Starting a business on your own is nearly impossible. Starting a business with a close friend is no cake walk, but now there is motivation. And regardless of what sort of way you try to be successful, friends can pool their networking resources.