I'm nearly at 7 with my employer and I've found the situation to be quite good and I see no sign yet to jump ship. There's still good gigs out there.
I'm sure the person you are responding to had good reason to stick around 20 years. It's possible only recently did the math not work out for them.
I think there is also upside here by formally allowing renters to positively affect their credit history through consistent renting.
Homeowners and credit card owners can improve their credit via consistent payments, why not renters?
(Yes, I do know there are ways to have your lease impacting your credit but they aren't a default and many renters would benefit from the credit boost this could enable)