> Second, for us non-mathematicians, the value of math isn't in understanding exactly why a result is true, it’s in how those results can be applied to actually improve our lives.

This is just the problem with the Navier-Stokes solution. We now (supposedly) know the truthiness of the statement, but we have no more understanding of why or how it applies to our quality of life. This is exactly the issue Tao is pointing at.