I think atom is just a prevalent example of an election app. I for one dislike it and use sublime text instead, but not all electron based apps are as replaceable. Slack, another electron based app, is an example. It is something that bosses force down everyone's throats.
The issue is not with atom, it is with the inefficiency that electron based apps bring.
Why would anyone that needs to use Slack not be able to use the web version? I don't even need to use Slack, but I use the web version, and its because I didn't like the desktop one. But I still think using Electron is a reasonable tradeoff for developing a cross-platform desktop app.
The issue is not with atom, it is with the inefficiency that electron based apps bring.