From John Franklin Genung:
The friends, however, have exhausted their resources, and through three discourses have been silent, as it were, snuffed out of existence. It is at this point, then, that Elihu is introduced, to renew their contention with young constructive blood, and represent their cause (as he deems) better than they can themselves. He is essentially at one with them in condemning Job (Job 34:34-37); his only quarrel with them is on the score of the inconclusiveness of their arguments (32:3, 1). His self-portrayal is conceived in a decided spirit of satire on the part of the writer, not unmingled with a sardonic humor. He is very egotistic, very sure of the value of his ideas; much of his alleged prolixity is due to that voluble self-deprecation which betrays an inordinate opinion of oneself (compare Job 32:6-22)…
Very evidently, however, his ego is the center of his system; it is he who sets up as Job’s mediator (Job 33:5-7; compare Job 9:32-35), and his sage remarks on God’s power and wisdom in Nature are full of self-importance. All this seems designed to accentuate the almost ludicrous humiliation of his collapse when from a natural phenomenon the oncoming tempest shows unusual and supernatural signs. His words become disjointed and incoherent, and cease with a kind of attempt to recant his pretensions. And the verdict from the whirlwind is: “darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge.” Elihu thus has a real function in the story, as honorable as overweening self-confidence is apt to be.
Contrast with John Piper’s glowing praise of Elihu:
Five Reasons We Should Accept Elihu’s Counsel…
1. His Speech Is Presented as Something New
2. Six Chapters Devoted to His Words
3. Job’s Response to Elihu
4. God’s Response to Elihu
5. He Offers Something New and Helpful
reality is not optional 
Neither Elihu or Job are historical persons. Neither existed.
Do you have evidence of your claim?
Piper is wrong about nearly everything he teaches in my opinion. He is a cheerleader for Rick Warren and had no issues engaging in Lectio Devina with Beth Moore. The guy is clueless when it comes to deep theological matters. Elihu is CLEARLY a type of antichrist and the more I read Job the more I am convinced that it’s a picture of the endtimes and how Satan is going persecute Christians in the person of Antichrist ( who will , just like Elihu, claim to be God) Elihu doesn’t just claim to speak for God, he puts himself in God’s place. At the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week ( final 7 years of human history), a man will stand in the temple and declare himself God and begin an unprecedented wave of persecution against the people of God. He will intone and pontificate in a manner similar to that of Elihu and he will view Christians that way, deserving of punishment, while seemingly merciful to everyone else ( false compassion).
I totally agree with John Franklin Genung. Every time I’ve read Elihu’s speeches I’ve felt uncomfortable with the way he continues the miserable comforters’ accusations against Job. He proved to be just another miserable comforter, boasting of being perfect in knowledge and yet at the same time feigning humility. God was not deceived and completely ignores him in His response to Job.