I think it actually runs the other way. Because Physics is in the doldrums, intelligent people trained in Physics show themselves out and start building those a

I think it actually runs the other way. Because Physics is in the doldrums, intelligent people trained in Physics show themselves out and start building those advertising systems. Personally I know many people who abandoned Physics to reinvent themselves as data scientists. Good for them that they were able to re-purpose their training; that doesn’t mean physics training is the best way to become a data scientist. My bias is that quantitative social science is a better route, although some of what it gains from focusing on people is often lost through less rigorous mathematics and software development requirements.