I think it's likely that they meant 4e was the change that made it not D&D. That said, time has dulled the shock, and honestly, 4e had a lot of great shit in it.
In 5E's defense, I've been playing since AD&D, and I've never had as many sessions, with so many people, and had so much fun, since 5e. 5E made D&D accessible, and that's a good enough reason for me to DM with it.