This is a perfect example of how Betteridge's Law can fail. Yes, algebra is necessary. Very much so. It's basically the first time students are required to operate on a formal system, which requires strictness and analytical thinking. As another poster has pointed out, algebra is a gym for your brain. Also, algebra has tons and tons of applications. Anybody claiming they "never needed to solve for x" has completely missed the point of symbols. They have certainly solved for x but haven't realized it yet.

The article lists arguments which can be applied to about everything else you learn in secondary education. How comes nobody ever complains about learning literature, arts, music or whatever, but people seem to insist that they'll never need math in their jobs, when in fact, math has made their lives possible as they know it.

</rant>