He should be encouraging people to give more practical advice. On one end of the spectrum he's right that "get a 2080TI" is not the right advice for many people. It's probably inappropriate advice for 95% of people. On the other end of the spectrum, "Don't build one" is even worse advice.But I thought he used a perfectly good analogy with the saw and nails approach: if you are interested in this stuff, purchase cheaper options and figure out from there if you are seriously interested in continuing to pursue this as a hobby.

On the other hand, I think OP should've expanded on his definition of what he believes is an adequate "$500" PC platform for those interested in the idea of building a PC. For example: a pcpartpicker.com listing of parts with his recommendation.