[JunkDNA]

Exactly. If you are an L7 and making an average L7 salary, nobody should have to squint and tie themselves in knots to figure out the connection between your contribution and your employer’s revenue. You are a Ferrari that is purchased new each year.

There’s a place where you can work on things that don’t generate revenue but are morally/technically interesting: it’s called “academia”.

[xxpor]

What is a professor's job other than revenue? Instead of selling a product, they have to beg for money instead. Alternatively, they sell their research. Publish or perish. Raise enough money for the school or you're out.

[akhmatova]

You are a Ferrari that is purchased new each year.

That's a pretty cheap way of looking at yourself.