Einstein’s story suggests that the absurdities of finding employment in academia—all the intellectual compromises, the stacks of cover letters, the months of silence, the degrading hierarchy—are as enduring as the general theory of relativity. He ultimately overcame these challenges, but that is hardly the point. After all, telling an academic job seeker, “Einstein did it and so can you!” is just begging for snide side-eyes. 

It is unclear Einstein could have thrived in the current academic environment.