Eric says his theory is a work in progress, may be wrong and may even be fool's gold (his words). That's a ways off from claiming breakthrough. And I don't see him selling magic pills or some get rich quick scheme.
It seems to me he's just exploring ideas in the open. That's great. I don't see the problem.
But he's not really exploring the ideas "in the open".
He is making REALLY HUGE claims in advance of releasing the actual products of his supposed 3 decades of work. He is making these claims in popular media and creating a buzz-- first. I suppose that's his prerogative, but it doesn't seem like science to me. The scientists I admire most take ENORMOUS effort to communicate clearly, adjust to their audience, focus on making compelling arguments, and above all "show their work". This guy does the exact opposite.
One other thing he keeps on citing is this bizarre quote from Dirac:
> "... it is more important to have beauty in one's equations that to have them fit experiment...".
That's perfectly fine, for a while, but it doesn't BECOME PHYSICS until it agrees with experiment at a minimum.
It seems to me he's just exploring ideas in the open. That's great. I don't see the problem.