Is AI safety no longer a scenius?

Back in the 1990s up until 2013 or so, AI safety work was almost entirely a volunteer effort that I believe fit many of the characteristics of scenius. But today in 2021, AI safety has become professionalized and prestigious. As Nielsen says (abstractly, not about AI safety in particular): "A field that is fun and stimulating when 50 people are involved may become overcrowded with 5,000 people. People get squeezed into tiny boxes, pursuing tiny dreams. They start to feel as though there is more competition, even if there are actually more resources per capita. As a result they become more selfish, less helpful, and less willing to share. Outside your immediate colleagues you are less buoyed by others."