it's endemic in biology, and it's endemic in chemistry (I had feet in both sides). The sentiment you wrote in the last sentence is exactly what I feel whenever I read a paper, hit it on the nail.
The crazy thing, is that the honest scientists are working at middling university. It is worse the higher up you go. I have had the opportunity to work in a upper-midrange research university [time-] sandwiched between two very high profile institutes. The institutes were way more corrupt. Like inviting the lab and the DARPA PM to hors d'oeuvres and cocktails at the institute leader's private mansion type of stuff (it turned out that that DARPA PM also had some wierd scientific overinterpretation skeletons / PI railroading the whistleblower stuff in her closet, and for a stint was the CTO of a microsample blood diagnostics company, I can't make this shit up, I guess after Theranos it got too wierd, she's now the CEO of another biotech startup -- how TF do people like this get VC money, and yet I can't get people to raise for some buddies with a growth industry company, and had to make the entire first investment myself?).
Of course working at a upper-midrange university sucks for other reasons. Especially at state universities, the red tape is astounding. And support staff is truly incompetent. Orders would fail to get placed or would arrive and disappear (not even theft, just incompetence) all the time.
While the "host" (people who pay, often with minimal decision power over their resources) turns a blind eye, "parasites" (cheaters who profit disproportionately) proliferate. Is that really so surprising?
When somebody else foots the bill, it's feast time!
To be clear, I'm with you. Also a PhD-turned-industry, for much the same reasons. But I realize what you describe is a completely rational strategy. The options always come down to:
1) Try not to be a host – if you have the wherewithal
2) Try to be a parasite – if you have the stomach
3) Suck it up & stay salty – otherwise. You can call it a balance, equilibrium, natural order of things – whatever helps you sleep at night.
Take your pick and then choose appropriate means. Romantic resolutions and wishful thinking – kinda like Atlas Shrugged solution for option 1) – rarely work.
The crazy thing, is that the honest scientists are working at middling university. It is worse the higher up you go. I have had the opportunity to work in a upper-midrange research university [time-] sandwiched between two very high profile institutes. The institutes were way more corrupt. Like inviting the lab and the DARPA PM to hors d'oeuvres and cocktails at the institute leader's private mansion type of stuff (it turned out that that DARPA PM also had some wierd scientific overinterpretation skeletons / PI railroading the whistleblower stuff in her closet, and for a stint was the CTO of a microsample blood diagnostics company, I can't make this shit up, I guess after Theranos it got too wierd, she's now the CEO of another biotech startup -- how TF do people like this get VC money, and yet I can't get people to raise for some buddies with a growth industry company, and had to make the entire first investment myself?).
Of course working at a upper-midrange university sucks for other reasons. Especially at state universities, the red tape is astounding. And support staff is truly incompetent. Orders would fail to get placed or would arrive and disappear (not even theft, just incompetence) all the time.