I guess that comment was cynical, but just to be sure: http://blog.backblaze.com/2013/11/12/how-long-do-disk-drives.... Especially in the beginning there is a higher failure rate for disk drives. So it is actually the opposite: backups should be one of the first things to arrange for new machines.
Guess who is a lot more conscientious about backups and source control than he used to be.