Something I often think about is how eccentric the leading researchers were in Einstein’s generation. Just look at a picture of the guy himself. Or consider Kurt Gödel, who starved to death when his wife was hospitalized because he could only eat food prepared by her.

Different times/cultures tend to put different personalities in charge, and that has a huge impact on what gets done. Overall I have a feeling the curious eccentrics are now out, and the charismatic corner cutters are in…