The title says he objects to diversity, but the article states that "it isn’t diversity to which he objects".

The professor isn't consistent either. Yes, DEI is a sort of agreement between you and your current society. And yes, you will be punished (or forced out) if you don't agree to it. That doesn't mean the society is selecting conformists, who would sign anything giving them profits. It means the society wants people who agree with its established principles, that's all.

If a society ends up with people who would sell those principles for nothing - then it's the problem of the society and its principles. USSR collapsed for a reason. And yes, you may say it's because it was run by conformists who didn't believe in the principles they signed. But "the routine affirmation" (of communism) is not what caused this situation.