&gt;it&#x27;s a big deal if a bunch of academics are spending time working on the wrong things<p>At the risk of sounding a little prickly with my comment - isn&#x27;t it a little presumptuous to write off a certain amount of research as &quot;wrong&quot;? There are plenty of examples of research that didn&#x27;t have a clear purpose leading to breakthroughs - safety glass, microwave ovens, and Teflon all spring to mind.<p>Also, focusing on efficiency doesn&#x27;t really align with academia&#x27;s purpose, which (to my mind) has more to do with fundamental research. This article about Xerox PARC springs to mind:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.fastcodesign.com&#x2F;3046437&#x2F;5-steps-to-recreate-xerox-parcs-design-magic-from-the-guy-who-helped-make-it" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.fastcodesign.com&#x2F;3046437&#x2F;5-steps-to-recreate-xero...</a>