It isn't uncommon for letters in an acronym to be pronounced differently from they are in the words they originated in. eg: laser, scuba, and NASA aren't pronounced "lah-seer", "scuh-bah", "nay-sah".
It's not like GIF/JIF is pronounced "G I F". Like "Laser" isn't pronounced "L A S E R".
His point wasn't about acronyms. The A is laser is for amplification -- which is pronounced with short A.
As the U in scuba is for underwater, yet scuba rhymes with tuna instead of tundra.
The "S" in laser is for "stimulated" but nobody pronounces it to rhyme with "bracer".
I wouldn't be surprised if certain accents result in exactly the sounds you described. Good point regardless though.