I'd say this is nuanced? Heated can certainly mean elevated to a point of being argumentative but the way I interpreted it in this case is more about being impassioned?

I'll regularly get into these types of scenarios with colleagues and find them to be considerably easier to have in person versus over Zoom or Slack. It's very difficult to fully read someones body language or intent when remote but for me it's easier to go have this type of debate in person and then walk away on good terms or maybe just heading out for a walk together to cool off and rebalance.