Amodei isn't a grifter; the difference is that he really believes powerful AI is imminent.

If you truly believe powerful AI is imminent, then it makes perfect sense to be worried about alignment failures. If a powerless 5 year old human mewls they're going to kill someone, we don't go ballistic because we know they have many years to grow up. But if a powerless 5 year old alien says they're going to kill someone, and in one year they'll be a powerful demigod, then it's quite logical to be extremely concerned about the currently harmless thoughts, because soon they could be quite harmful.

I myself don't think powerful AI is 1-2 years away, but I do take Amodei and others as genuine, and I think what they're saying does make logical sense if you believe powerful AI is imminent.