That's approximately 1 million people. Even a religious cult that size would have difficulty controlling motivations. As an example:
> Petitioners also formed a variety of organizations to create what they termed "marketable science." Pet. App. 1687a. For example, through the Council for To bacco Research (CTR) and Lawyers' Special Accounts, petitioners jointly financed research programs that were directed by company lawyers and calculated to yield favorable results. Id. at 240a-275a. Petitioners regu larly cited the conclusions of the scientists funded through these programs as if they were the objective results of disinterested research, without revealing that the scientists had, in fact, been funded by the industry. Id. at 195a.
I'm sure there's some, but the small point here is that it almost certainly is more motivated by factors other than financial gain. I'm sure it you search you can find such cases though.
The much broader point though is the dismissal of the bulk consensus of academic research because academics are in it for the "money".
> Petitioners also formed a variety of organizations to create what they termed "marketable science." Pet. App. 1687a. For example, through the Council for To bacco Research (CTR) and Lawyers' Special Accounts, petitioners jointly financed research programs that were directed by company lawyers and calculated to yield favorable results. Id. at 240a-275a. Petitioners regu larly cited the conclusions of the scientists funded through these programs as if they were the objective results of disinterested research, without revealing that the scientists had, in fact, been funded by the industry. Id. at 195a.
That comes from here: https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/philip-morris-usa-inc-v-un...
It's possible all the science was good but people were upset about who funded it.