Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

According to the linked discussion, the underlying setting that the script set still exists, so this simply makes it less convenient.

It should absolutely be taken as a warning sign, though. Seriously, if at this point you're installing Windows and relying on the existence of that setting, you should be seeking alternatives.

I've been saying the writing was on the wall for a long time. Any time someone says how easy it is to simply avoid MS account registration I've argued that it's not going to last much longer.

Even Microsoft's current Storage Spaces Direct won't let you start a locally hosted Hyper-V VM without an Azure connection.

What if there's an outage or somewhere you don't have reliable internet?