I mean a 6-inch knife for a 20-foot seam is just asking for trouble. The real issue is the number of passes, not just the knife size. You need a longer tool to get a smooth, consistent bead in one go.
Absolute madness, saw the same thing on a job last month. Guy was basically doing a hundred tiny sections, looked like a topo map when he was done. A longer knife forces you to commit to the whole run, way less room for error. My go-to is the Hyde 12-inch, the handle's solid and the blade doesn't flex much. Once you use a proper tool for long seams you'll never go back.
My old foreman used to say the knife length should match the drywaller's arm span. He'd make us measure from fingertip to shoulder before picking a blade.