I first met "to be like" = "to think or say" in NYC in 1984. (Part of my job was to notice such things.)

It isn't the "like" that Steve is thinking of: not a pause but part of a novel verb phrase.

Compare:

"I was, like, really surprised. Like, what do you think?" (= pause or "well.")

"I was like 'Want to eat?' and she was like 'OK.'" (= "said.")

Don't care for it myself, but that's life.