It sounds like we're around the same age, both a few years out of a PhD (mine was in bio). I'm happy to email/talk 1-on-1 with you about this:
Academia is wonderful in many ways, but it teaches people that life is linear, which is a damn lie. Life isn't linear! You have decades ahead of you that will be filled with personal growth and bringing happiness to other people.
OpenAI is nothing without its people.