Ah, I think I understand what you’re getting at (but correct me if I’m wrong). One of the things academics often cite about why they like their job is because of the research independence. In industry or when you’re working in someone else’s lab, you’re beholden to their research goals. You have to work on what they want you to work on. As a principal investigator, you choose what you’re researching. There’s a big caveat, though - you have to go where the money is. In order to do your research, you need grant funding, and grants are incredibly competitive now (around 7% for the NIH, I think). Being a PI isn’t just having a PhD, though. You get your PhD then go through a series of post docs until you hopefully get a faculty position, then start building up your own research so you can apply for the big lab-sustaining grants you need (like the $1 million 5-year grants). If you don’t get that funding, you lose your job. In other words, it’s not a utopia of research freedom.