If the passive funds are using "the world’s simplest quantitative strategy" and active managers like Green are so smart, surely they should be able to out-trade

If the passive funds are using "the world’s simplest quantitative strategy" and active managers like Green are so smart, surely they should be able to out-trade those funds, right? Maybe active funds would get more business if they were better at picking stocks instead of just whining about bogeymen like "regulation".