"I hold that space cannot be curved, for the simple reason that it can have no properties. It might as well be said that God has properties. He has not, but only attributes and these are of our own making. Of properties we can only speak when dealing with matter filling the space. To say that in the presence of large bodies space becomes curved, is equivalent to stating that something can act upon nothing. I for one, refuse to subscribe to such a view."—Nikola Tesla

Perhaps he will be validated when we develop/discover a deeper theory.

After all, we have physicists going around now (e.g. Nima) saying 'spacetime is doomed'

Presumably they had a brain scan machine (scanner?) nearby, ready to go. Everyone likes a joke with a prop.