I think in a benevolent reading, you have to read it as: "Scientific facade hides many charlatans." Engineering and applied science are entire universes remove

I think in a benevolent reading, you have to read it as: "Scientific facade hides many charlatans." Engineering and applied science are entire universes removed from the ideal of science that gets painted here in defense of them. Yes, scientists who pursue science in the way highlighted exist (and they are often not well paid for it) and it is a very respectable and admirable pursuit. But there is a way larger mass of people and companies who strike a balance between profit and being scientifically backed enough, with incentives to tilt the balance into the direction of profit.