juicybilberry

Yes I've personally heard similar stories. Students who were prevented from graduating until they produced significant results, even though their dissertation studies were approved by committees. So they'd eventually resign because they got fed up with it.

Or students and postdocs threatened with presenting or publishing null findings that run counter to senior scientists' previously published theories.

Etc etc etc

Believe me, this isn't just Stanford. I give credit more to some kind of internal whistleblower investigative subculture there shining a light on things than it being something qualitatively different about Stanford as an institution.

For every one of these stories you hear, I am aware of others that will never ever see the light of day.