The title of the article is a bit misleading. This guy doesn't seem to be saying that intrinsic motivation doesn't exist, just that it isn't quite as simple as an intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy would make it seem, which seems fair enough. However, to make the claim that there are 16 basic desires that motivate people (as this researcher does) is a simplification as well.
Any sort of quantization of the motivating factors in a person's life obviously cannot completely convey the true reality of the situation whether the number of factors is 2 or 16. This sort of quantization is certainly useful in talking about what motivates an individual, but given that it is a model and not reality itself, it's tough to say that one is more right than the other (or any other for that matter).
True. The entire article provides a context that somewhat weakens that statement though--as I read it anyway. I was left with the impression that he thought it was more of an oversimplification than a fabrication. Though it's tough to argue against a quote that spells things out as explicitly as you have!
Any sort of quantization of the motivating factors in a person's life obviously cannot completely convey the true reality of the situation whether the number of factors is 2 or 16. This sort of quantization is certainly useful in talking about what motivates an individual, but given that it is a model and not reality itself, it's tough to say that one is more right than the other (or any other for that matter).