I am generally a pretty decent read of people and in my observations and interactions with him I genuinely believe he believes a benevolent dictator building a centralized system is the only way to bring non-profit-motivated secure messaging to the masses, and that if one accepts this seemingly irrefutable truth, then the best candidate for the job is himself.
He is charismatic, highly intelligent, and lives by his own moral compass, rejecting FOSS ethos and silicon valley capitalist ethos alike.
This makes him especially dangerous.