&gt; I&#x27;d guess that would greatly depend on what Mochizuki&#x27;s world allows one to do.<p>Um, it&#x27;s abstract math, it&#x27;s not going to help you build a flying car.  Isn&#x27;t proving a major conjecture enough?<p>Most of mathematics predates the modern American academic system.  This immense body of work wasn&#x27;t developed by people with a careful eye on the best way to get a good tenure-track job.  It was developed by people who did math for one main reason: they were fascinated by math.<p>I am not a mathematician, but I haven&#x27;t seen anyone suggest that Mochizuki&#x27;s world is <i>boring</i>.  It&#x27;s difficult for me to imagine 19th-century mathematicians resisting the opportunity to become students again in a new, promising, and unfamiliar world.<p>The 21st-century reaction seems to be: I already got that degree, you want me to start over?  WTF?  Why?  What&#x27;s in it for me?  How do I make a name for myself by studying someone else&#x27;s theory, which might not even be true?  And it&#x27;s a pretty sensible reaction, given the institutions we have.