There is no consensus, because there is no spoon.
I was widely reported to have gotten a start that way yes.

What does it do? Why is it needed? These are the questions to root out.
IF, and until you fire it you won't know, you have a rough barrel, It will copper foul badly. Those machine marks/burrs/whatever are what you are trying to "Iron-out" by the "break-in".

What I find odd about it, is why the obsessive cleaning during this process. There are ALWAYS exceptions to any rule. But I have never found a barrel that was SO BAD, that it grabbed half the jacket....The barrel would probably burst...
So, does SOME fouling stop ALL wear? No, if it did then NO ONE would ever clean a barrel; NOR wear one out.
The theory is that it will "wear down the imperfections, faster". Do whatever lets you sleep at night, you will not HARM your barrel whichever way you do it, or don't do it.
I have done everything under the sun, and nothing has been worse for the wear.