To start with, it has to have an audiobook. Reading is uncomfortable for him for a variety of reasons, and he hasn't read for fun since elementary school. However, he is EXTREMELY intelligent and loves watching physics videos and that kind of stuff. He loves sci-fi movies and tv shows, good and bad included, but he is not a guy who rewatches.
Yes, he is autistic, but he was punched into a box and given no choice of doing anything but be the bad boy jock growing up. Now his body has broken down and he can no longer work or do his hobbies.
He likes the YouTube stories of this genre because they make him feel good about himself. He was army intelligence in his youth, so he identifies with the male human protagonists who are uber skilled but do good things, save the day, and get the cute alien girls who can handle themselves in a fight.
Some other requirements:
No protagonists under 30yo
He enjoys the AI writing and considers it "above average", whatever that means
Nothing that was turned into a movie or tv show, like The Martian
Most of these videos are 1 to 2 hours and he binges several in a row, so audiobooks under 7 hours tops
by manicbestfriend