He's definitely talking about the "you HAVE to finish calculus in high school" track as representing "rigor" and some kind of badge of smartness/worthiness in high school students. That's not at all the same thing as a student who legitimately takes a very rigorous approach to mathematics but simply does it FASTER than most learners can. Those students are somewhat rare. That's what he's getting at; undermining the prestige of "advanced in mathematics" for its own sake, and a return to rigorous learning-- for ITS own sake.
Many scientists, engineers, and economists will use calculus and other math as a tool. I wonder how much rigor they need. I don't see how a year of geometry with proofs helped me in my academic or working career. A benefit of acceleration through calculus is that it enables you to study physics, statistics, economics, and other subjects at a higher level.
