I worked as a staff engineer in an academic research lab for 7 years and got to observe a wide range of interactions between grad students and faculty. I would characterize most of the bad relationships as a combination of neglect and poor communication (in both directions), plus general exhaustion on all sides. But there were definitely worse situations outside our department that I heard about secondhand. Life sciences seemed to be particularly prone to huge egos and abusive attitudes for reasons that I still don't quite understand.
In the 13 years I have subsequently spent in industry, I've been at large companies, small established companies, and startups. One thing I've seen a few times is that people who successfully finished a PhD and end up in technical management have a tendency to be ineffective, tyrannical managers. Kind of a "passing on the abuse" situation, sadly.
In the 13 years I have subsequently spent in industry, I've been at large companies, small established companies, and startups. One thing I've seen a few times is that people who successfully finished a PhD and end up in technical management have a tendency to be ineffective, tyrannical managers. Kind of a "passing on the abuse" situation, sadly.