It's a wide spectrum. It absolutely can mean "if Samsung has a bad day my house becomes uninhabitable."
But speaking as somebody also using Home Assistant, I'd bet the author has everything set up without internet access, fully locally controllable, and entirely operable the old fashioned way if Home Assistant goes down.
But speaking as somebody also using Home Assistant, I'd bet the author has everything set up without internet access, fully locally controllable, and entirely operable the old fashioned way if Home Assistant goes down.