Dave's book The Total Money Makeover first got me involved in personal finance. I followed the steps out of debt, and succeeded. And I think if the average person followed all 7 baby steps they would end up in a tremendously better position than just winging it. What I mean is, you could probably use the 7 baby steps as a default guide to your financial life, following cultural norms like retiring at 65, and do extremely well.
The stories in the book and on the radio were very inspiring. Some of the those stories involved young couples paying off their houses in their 30s, and I was mind-blown. That was something I really wanted in my life. Then when I discovered the FIRE community, I realized the non-mortgaged route was, for my goals, even better. In some ways, it was the perfect transition because Dave got me out of debt, and FIRE got me into investing and living even more strategically below my means.
Dave's definitely selling a product, but I think it's a good product. And yeah, the message hasn't changed, so there's really nothing new to learn there, but that's fine because people from all walks of life keep discovering it, and need to. I occasionally go story hunting, I really love seeing people's lives dramatically changed for the better as they get their financial crud together. I do often read some FIRE snobbery toward his ideas (not all unwarranted), but I have a soft spot in my heart for it all :)