The reason why [Computer Science] research produces so little that can be called creative programming these days...
I'd like to see some examples of "meaningless solutions to irrelevant problems". CS research was never really about producing "creative programming", but rather about furthering what we know about computers, which involves a lot of math and theoretical research.
If I were to guess, he's talking about problems which don't affect his life or aren't "interesting"; That, however, is where the money lies. Just think about the founders of google: their research wasn't exactly thrilling, but it's led them to be one of, if not the, most successful tech companies of all time.
I'd like to see some examples of "meaningless solutions to irrelevant problems". CS research was never really about producing "creative programming", but rather about furthering what we know about computers, which involves a lot of math and theoretical research.