wow that is incredibly naive. You think people in academia don't actively try to promote and position their work? Let alone the book and journal publishers, and conference organizers that have an obvious interest in all this.
Wolfram has used his business to unduly promote his research. There is a huge difference between him and a professor making the rounds.
That his research was funded through success in the market rather than government subsidies doesn't imply any 'unduliness' to me, but attitudes may vary.