If he used other opinions I’d be inclined to agree. Taxonomy is an attempt to divide and categorize so something that can not be so cleanly divided.

The example of Neanderthals is a good one. Neanderthals and modern humans both split from homo erectus. However they were able to interbreed and they did. Frankly fully separating Neanderthals made no sense. They and homo sapiens should be considered subspecies of one another.