Every genius in all ages held some weird view all their lifetime, even by modern standards. But history forgets those, and remembers their contributions for the good.
The question that I don’t think we have an answer to (but we see some worrisome trends) is: does this hold up in an era where those odd beliefs aren’t just a footnote somewhere but instead tightly bound to ones identity for the rest of eternity?
Basically, how does social media and “cancel culture” change things, or does it?
I think his concern is it affecting job prospects, etc. Being recognized after one dies is not appealing to him :-)
(I often look at biographies, and being recognized only years after death is quite common).