This is a really good article. Well worth the time to read it.
Yes, it is, partly because it explains the patent unlikeliness of the furin cleavage site as a natural phenomenon as expressed in SARS-CoV-2.
It leans heavily toward the release being the result of incompetence or carelessness (improperly followed BSL-4 protocols), rather than intentional, and that may well be the case. However, the actions of the Chinese Government afterwards would indicate that they knew they had an incident that would work in their favor if they played it right, even if the timing was coincidental.
It is those actions, destroying samples, hiding/destroying records, the 'wet market' scenario--then being cleansed as if to destroy a crime scene (rendering verification or refutation of that source impossible), the initial actions in re: transmissibility, the failure to restrict international travel even while internal travel was restricted, etc., all, collectively, tend to skew one's opinion toward the possibility that these actions, if not the actual release, were rooted in malice and the ability to use the event in their favor if they identified and utilized human resources in high places to do so.
Considering that Trump was the single most difficult world figure for the Chinese to deal with at the time, and that the rest of the leaders around the globe were taking cues from Trump, using the pandemic (if not the generation or fostering the development thereof) to harm him politically in favor of more amenable office holders is a thought that has certainly worked in their favor so far, and will continue to do so for the rest of the present Administration.