In this Tech Talk, Nikolay Advolokin discusses the importance of atomic tests in automated testing, explaining that an atomic test is a single item being tested, such as a feature or function, to validate its functionality. Having many atomic tests is beneficial for fast test execution and successful test automation, as it allows for quicker identification of issues and reduces duplication. Nikolay highlights the benefits of avoiding non-atomic tests and suggests splitting them into smaller atomic tests when possible. He also explains different ways to set an application state using various techniques such as Javascript injection, restful API, database manipulation, and cookies to create atomic tests.