Honestly I think in this case the subject is so complex you'd have to be an expert to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The techno optimists really do a lot of grifting these days (especially on YouTube), and the knee-jerk cynics are predictably annoying as well. The fact that a knowledgeable fusion insider is criticizing this speaks volumes to me, and his criticisms seem on point.

I'm a lay person so my take on it is effectively of zero value. And I don't think I'm the only one in this thread in that position :)

I agree. I have nothing against the people sharing actual technical critisisms of the approach.