There's research showing that, at least as late as several years ago, turnover in academics was increasing (in the sense that the average/median length of time in academics was decreasing), and probability of exiting academics was uncorrelated with measures of research quality.

So it's not just Dr. Hossenfelder.

I think there's a lot of variability in experiences. If you are in a supportive environment and integrated well into "the system" and then move into another supportive environment, I can't exactly say things go effortlessly, but you're more likely to have a good experience. If anything isn't lined up perfectly, you're more likely to have a hellish experience.

I was a tenured professor, left my position for a variety of reasons, and got another position in (in a university) elsewhere and I wrestle with whether or not I'm doing the right thing every day.

The basic problem is people are expected to bring in money to universities first and foremost, and be famous second, with a pool of money coming from the federal government, that isn't big enough to support everyone who wants to do research and can do it well. On top of this is how fame and monies are allocated: based on popularity essentially. So what gets funded is popular, fame is due to what's popular, etc. It sounds a little edgelord but I mean that in the strictest possible sociology of science way. So to convince the right people, you need to do research that everyone agrees on, and that is likely to be uninteresting in some sense etc. What doesn't work now is someone not bringing in money, who says "hey, how about we try something new that we don't know about?" You're actively punished for doing something off-trend.

My guess is it varies by field but currently academics is a disaster in my opinion. It's remarkable to me actually to hear someone like Dr. Hossenfelder say the exact same things that I think and hear others complaining about every single day, in a completely absolutely different field. If you don't believe me or Dr. Hossenfelder, look at Peter Higgs, or Katalin Karikó. For every one of these stories there's hundreds or thousands you don't hear about because the absurdity of it just doesn't become quite that clear.