Taking your arguments though, is it clear that the lesson is teaching cannot be commoditized. Isn't it the lack of understanding and valuing of the research com

Taking your arguments though, is it clear that the lesson is teaching cannot be commoditized. Isn't it the lack of understanding and valuing of the research component that makes them see professors as adding little value? Programmers in most tech businesses do provide clear value through their work. So if anything the lesson seems to be it's not enough to do something valuable. You have to make sure the stakeholders understand and value it as well. And in this regard I do agree we have a huge disconnect between modern research and people. To some degree this is because of the increasing complexity of the frontiers of research, but I also feel we no longer have the public figures in the research community who act as bridges and translators between academia and the public.