Yes, I took all that from the article as well, which after all is not so subtle. Implying that Andreessen would have been a British Empire-style racist is indee

Yes, I took all that from the article as well, which after all is not so subtle. Implying that Andreessen would have been a British Empire-style racist is indeed a scathing criticism. But a hundred years ago, a houseboy and a butler were still very different people. To say that a hundred years ago this highly competent professional would have been a houseboy is, in effect, to call him one now: a no less scathing (and unintended) criticism of the butler.