[suc_syn]

I am in the same position. First completely self driven research project end in two different academic spend about 80k each fighting over which of them controlled the IP (the decided to share it), and totally fail to commercialize it (the both kept asking me how to do it while I had zero financial incentive). Second after a successful grant funding project which I was told I could not PI because I had not yet completed my PhD, while I was the lead inventor and developer on for 2 years and getting zero naming on the publications. I left academic to make almost twice as much at a soul crushingly boring job. I really felt like I was working on something important but hated the grant funding cycles (I was told if I wanted one I would have to write it in my own time and could not ask for support), and was tired of seeing people up and down the ladder claim ownership of my ideas and work.

[exporectomy]

Maybe if someone's passionate enough they can fund their own science? Surely you could have earned 80k quickly enough in your private sector job. Similar to poets and artists who usually get paid nothing for a long time/ever.

Oh, maybe I misread you. They spent 80k just on fighting for IP rights?