Science continues to work, but the work of being a "scientist" really sucks because of this stuff.

I personally left science because I could see it had 98% overlap with what I'd do as an engineer (or entrepreneur, in the case of a PI), with a tiny fraction of the monetary benefit. Being a winner in that system is a great life, but it rests upon a huge pyramid of people who are working their butts off at low pay and lower prestige, for a brass ring that few will ever grasp.

I agree with you. Being a scientist has become worse (although I would argue that is true for many other jobs as well). A PI nowadays really works like the leader of a small startup constantly looking for money to keep the ship afloat without the prospect of a big payout at the end.

This.

I am a PI.

What I spent my day doing was dealing with managerial tasks, fiddly stuff for funding applications, etc.

I got to actually code for a whole day last week, and it was marvelous. It was also only possible because it was an all-hands-on-deck, everything else can wait situation.

I spent like 10 total hours writing analytical code in 2020; maybe another 100 hours of analytic design. The rest was meetings, politics, coordination. I got a national award and millions in funding. I would trade it for more time playing with the puzzles. Do I feel good that my people got published and covered rent, hit major life goals (marriages, home purchases)? Yes. But, man, do I wish I got to do more science…

> A PI nowadays really works like the leader of a small startup constantly looking for money to keep the ship afloat without the prospect of a big payout at the end.

I said exactly the same thing when I first left academia for tech, and people would look at me suspiciously and ask why I'd ever do such a thing. I looked at every PI I knew, and saw a task essentially identical to running a startup, but with no financial upside -- and the downside risk of being jobless and adrift if you don't get tenure.