I found inside a given university job, lets say a PhD or postdoc, it is easy to just do your thing and ignore politics. There is almost no consequences for anything, as opposed to in industy. The kicker is only when you switch jobs. You need to have connections, and goodwill.

So, once you have a permanent position and are the king of the island, you can basically do whatever you want. You only have to play politics with the university leadership and funding agencies, but otherwise you can just do your thing. Of course, for the less priviliged people under you, this feels like politicking.

The problem I have seen is that a huge percent of the average thinks they are that brilliant person when they simply are not. I know I surely am not.

Academia though is a completely different animal. The whole system is completely broken beyond repair. Like trying to keep a 1992 Ford Taurus on the road in 2022. We are just setting money on fire to drive a piece of shit instead of investing in a new car.