More features, more that can go wrong. More tech, more that can fail or work improperly. Usually these are more expensive repairs, too, if they even can be replaced without replacing the whole unit. Modern appliances have a lot more features, and usually have some very nice improvements! However, they have a reputation for being unreliable and failing early. The overall sentiment of the thread is how appliance don't last as long as they used to, before they added all the "smart" features. That the durability is the measure of "goodness", not the number of features. You brought up a bunch of great features, someone replied to you that their new appliances didn't last longer than two years before being replaced. That is how it relates to your comment, as a counterpoint.