The problem is that many people online seem to take Linus's views as truth or gospel. A lot of people online seem to have zero capability in using any sort of basic judgment in determining if something online is real or fake. Worse, the more stuff is posted online, they believe ALL of it regardless whether or not it makes any sense at all.
We have seen that with at least one of the people in this specific conversation multiple times on multiple subjects elsewhere on TPU. This person simply believes everything he/she sees online, especially if it's in a video.
Even if TPU forum commenters point out contradictions or falsehoods, this person will continue to defend and justify whatever he/she viewed, often with hilariously atrocious "logic".
But some people are gullible and guys like Linus leverage this naivety into monetization. There's nothing wrong with being an entertainer or novelist. It's just a problem when people don't know recognize fiction when it's put in front of their faces. We've already seen numerous times that Linus has a very questionable level of integrity. But many online don't seem to hold it against him.