Series of tubes
The internet is, in fact, a series of tubes.
Bandwidth is finite. That bandwidth exists on interconnected paths. That was his point.
Wrap that fundamental truth in layers of complexity until you achieve nerdgasm if you like, but at the end of the day it was a perfectly reasonable way for an 86 year old man to describe the internet.
Specific technical knowledge is often wielded as a shield or sword against common sense. It always loses.
FWIW, Al Gore mispronounced "router" in front of an industry group. Does it really matter?
Are you planning to hire either one of these guys to write code? No.
Give the guy a break. He's dead.