I didn't (and wouldn't) claim that programming "is" math in any literal sense. The foundations of software engineering are heavily derived from math, but a degree in software engineering isn't necessary for all forms of programming.

I only claimed that programmers rely on the math skills of other programmers, even if they are not aware of it. Somebody wrote the compression, search, and encryption tools that even ordinary computer users use every day. Game developers often rely on 3rd party game engines to do the heavy vector mathematics that they'd rather not reinvent.

So some programming is heavily based on math, and it is often exposed only as a library or service of some sort. As long as it sits quietly in the background doing its tasks, it won't be noticed much. Declaring that programmers don't need to know anything about math is, to me, equivalent to saying that abstractions can be counted on not to leak.