I think the sense that Ripple is centralised is due to the XRP owned by Ripple. The company owning millions of XRP will undoubtedly lead some to think that XRP can be 'manipulated' in favour of what Ripple thinks is best for their platform.

That's why the article presents an interesting premise...Unlike other coins where they are all there for the taking, company and commoner alike, XRP was created to compliment their platform...

XRP isn't centralised, but it is in all but name