Here are few thoughts on Aaranson's comments:

1) I have absolutely zero understanding of quantum computers (even after watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWJCfOvochA), though I like to read up on quantum physics. However, it seems to me that I've lived through many "breakthroughs" in this technology. For example, here's an excerpt from a NYT article from 4/28/1998: https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/28/science/quantum-computing...:

  The discovery has touched off a wave of excitement among physicists and computer scientists and is leading dozens of research centers worldwide to embark on similar experiments heralding the advent of an era of so-called quantum computers, specialized machines that may one day prove thousands or even millions of times faster than today's most powerful supercomputers.

It seems quantum computers that can kick ass is always 10-15 years away.

2) Here's a writeup from Pano Kanelos, President of the University of Austin of University of Austin, where he explains the motivation: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/we-cant-wait-for-universiti.... Others can debate the anti-wokeness, but this part is pretty much fact:

  Over the last three decades, the cost of a degree from a four-year private college has nearly doubled; the cost of a degree from a public university has nearly tripled.

Colleges in the US are insanely expensive! If the new UoA starts fixing that I'm all of it, but I'll believe it when I see their tuition rates and first batch of graduates. This is the first question listed here (along with the high cost of healthcare in the US): https://patrickcollison.com/questions

3) The blog post he mentions is interesting. Of course, the same argument may be made for any job area for which demographic stats does not match the society at large. The argument is irrefutable because any point against it is labeled as offensive or biased, which makes it funny coming from a mathematician.