I think the obligation to work in exchange for pay that is the problem. If you're in the position where you can freely choose what to work on, I just think you'

I think the obligation to work in exchange for pay that is the problem. If you're in the position where you can freely choose what to work on, I just think you'd be a lot happier than if your choice is dictated by your employer. That is a lot of the freedom that you get as an academic (or nominally as a founder). As it happens, I'd expect that if I was retired I'd spend a lot of time doing similar stuff to what I do now -- but being able to choose how to spend your time would be a major benefit.