I was editing my post when you replied (adding a bit about "if" HTML5 died tomorrow with a link to the various publishing options).
I have no doubt he has a wealth of knowledge in certain areas but I think we've gotten to the nub of the issue which as I suspected is basically "fear" of new technology. We have a new instructional designer here who refuses to use Captivate which is down to being conversant with Storyline rather than thinking of the end user ("Storyline is easier to use"; this to me does not negate the fact it still doesn't do responsive at this time therefore has a negative impact on the end user IMHO) .
Good luck working through this little hurdle.