Seriously. This from a professor emeritus in Harvard.
I speak as an authority on this subject because I myself am an extreme case.
An outlier, in other words.
I have problems with this piece, not least because in discussions about mathematical ability most people are not so worried about the lack of access to seriously high level mathematics, but the basic stuff that a) makes it easier to survive modern life without being ripped off and b) makes it easier to find higher paying jobs. But this guy is talking about the higher level stuff required to support leaps forward in science, not the every day sort of stuff.
Extreme cases are not generally applicable and if he is such a great scientist, regardless of what his field of study, he should be aware of this.