To start with there's the aspect of publishing that keeps academics in their jobs – it's one of the mechanisms by which we are judged, so publishing adds to job security. Both appointments and promotions hinge on it. I once attended a job interview for a research post in a major multi-national petrochemical company where one of the interview questions was 'what is the primary purpose of this company?', to which my answer was 'to keep all its staff in employment'. I was not successful.