[gc22browsing]

Academia has become big business. Over a period of 30+ years I have observed that part-time admin roles that were filled by academics are now run by full-time corporate types. Their primary mandate is to increase profits and thus inflate their own salaries.

As for successful grants, I have seen that, now, 50% of the amounts immediately goes to "overhead" and the PI needs to pay for stipends and equipment from the remaining 50%, yet there are further "transaction charges" even those activities.

The publishing, grant winning, etc are simply "KPIs" so beloved by the MBA hordes.

What I found incredible is the lack of push-back from academics against the encroaching takeover by the biznoids. Speaking of whom, they don't give a damn about research, academia is merely yet another territory to which they extend their rent seeking (for themselves) activities.

[psi75]

> What I found incredible is the lack of push-back from academics against the encroaching takeover by the biznoids.

Paradox of tolerance. Academics were too peacefully inclined to realize what is happening to them and their jobs until it's too late.

As the left re-emerges, I hope it will evolve into something with some fight in it. De-corporatization is going to take decades and it's not all going to be pretty.