Counter point, I’ve been told by recruiting that my email makes me stand out because it’s not the norm domain name and it’s a little “fun” in the sense that it conveys a little light personality.
I'm 100% certain that a number of opportunities I've been offered have been because I proved a certain level of competence by maintaining my own email and domain; this certainty is largely due to the incidence of comments like the ones you note. It's definitely a way to stand out.
