I was curious about IOTA so I read a little bit about their beginnings. Good news is it was easy to find because they have a thread on Bitcontalk. You can read through all the posts from the beginning and form your own opinion
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1216479.0
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1216479.0
I don't have the time to read it all, but I suspect the conclusion is : "A team better in marketing than in crypto, whose members are now millionaires"
Am I right ?
Anyway, if we translate the supply/price ratio of bitcoin (with 17 000 000 coin), it gives the MIOTA at around $650 per unit. Way higher than Monero. Seems over-valuated for a coin which has no real life use for now.