He plans to use some of the money to run formal clinical trials.

Promissory notes and jam tomorrow. He didn't bother to run the most trivial experiments on himself, he hasn't released information on the existing volunteers he mailed Soylent off to a while ago, and so I'm not optimistic about what clinical trials he'll fund - especially considering that costs are always higher than one expects so he'll have pressing demands on his funds (and why should he fund trials, when he already has so many geeks pressing funds on him already?)

I think "ridiculous" is the wrong word to use, here. The fact is, he got over $200k in less than 24 hours, so I think "rational" might be more appropriate.

Instrumentally rational, perhaps, but still ridiculous. It may not be too harmful snake oil, it may improve over time, but investment in it is still a bad idea and the evidence for its efficacy is non-existent. People giving him >$200k for this is ridiculous.

However, if you intend to condemn everyone who does not eat as well as you and who is more interested in self-experimentation, then that is ridiculous.

Who are these people even more interested in self-experimentation than me? I would be fascinated to see them. Are these the same people who can't be bothered to post any info at all on their Soylent consumption? Or do simple experiments like randomize weeks? This does not sound like people interested in self-experimentation, this sounds like a flock of gullible sheep eagerly paying up for the latest gimmick and getting angry at people harshing on their groove. 'Like, that's your opinion man! Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the better!'

And, for me, and for a visible fraction of the world population, it probably succeeds in that goal. I hate eating lunch and I never eat anything nutritious, then, anyways. It probably would be a net improvement for me to replace breakfast with Soylent, too.

I highly doubt that. Look at Eliezer on this page. Do you really think Soylent is going to funge against eating candy and pizza for lunch?