I put it down to a lack of focus. Research universities had one job, to ensure the undelayed success of someone (or collective) like Yitang Zhang/Katalin Kariko, and it failed, while managing to award tenure to many a downright incompetent or even fraudulent persons and research groups. Surely doing this job is, if not easier, more important than achieving general AI? When I say easier, I refer to the ontopic suggestion of giving every person who gets a PhD a basic income..