How did he misrepresent his role at MIT? He never claimed to have gotten a degree there and he never claimed to be a professor there. He taught a course there though, as an independent researcher.

I don't think he got famous through Elon Musk, but maybe through Joe Rogan to some degree (he already had hundreds of thousands of views before his first episode with Elon Musk.)

How exactly is he a grifter? Sure he runs ads, like almost any podcast, but I don't think he's trying to sell anything or so.

His interviewing style is peculiar, but that's a matter of opinion, and you're free to not watch his show. He undeniably has a lot of very interesting guests on, and that's probably the main reason why people watch his show.

So what are you even saying?