Working towards more general AI technology is not what the author of this is criticizing. They're criticizing focusing on super-human AI rather than ethical problems of current AI. "The idea that eats smart people" is just a meme at this point, normally quoted outside its context.

But even so, history will have to judge whether the author's statements were true regarding the risk of super-human AI. Or whether a lot of _quite_ smart people weren't smart _enough_ to realize that there was a real likelihood of this being possible to achieve faster most thought.

Also, using ridicule as a rhetorical technique isn't the most sound type of reasoning, regarding the author of your link ;)