> So let's first back up and recognize that this earlier statement was flat out wrong. React does provide a systematic answer for this.

Context was never a systematic answer. Even today the docs say:

  Apply it sparingly because it makes component reuse more difficult.

  If you only want to avoid passing some props through many levels, component composition is often a simpler solution than context.

https://reactjs.org/docs/context.html#before-you-use-context

And IIRC older docs would be even more harsh at recommending not to use context.