If people can't afford stuff the machines make, the machines will fail. Who needs a bunch of machines if the products can't get to market affordably? It's called supply and demand.
Carry this point to scientists. Who needs a scientist who figures out Big Bang? Who needs a scientist who figures out gravity theory and a whole bunch of other theories? The only people who get some benefit are scientists in general, and the few engineers who can interpret the theories into working machines that benefit the people.
Essentially, we don't need Hawking, and never did. If somebody else hadn't felt sorry for him and his ravings, he'd never have gotten anywhere. Somebody else is raking in $$$ off his thinking, because they were able to manipulate him into the limelight, and make his thinking popular. Without these other people, he'd have been a total flop. Is there anything useful and practical for common people that has come from his thinking?
Supply and demand rules. We'd have won WW2 without the atom bomb. We'd be better off with out nuclear power plants. Stupid theory making is really one of the things that is poisoning the whole planet.
