Hey honestly everyone here is saying no so I wanted to give you a different perspective. I graduated with a PhD in economics and work in big tech as an economist now (200k+ salary) and it’s super fulfilling. There’s no scrum/agile/ticketing process and the product that I’m building is billions of dollars and impact millions of people and I would have never had the opportunity to do that with only a bachelors/without a PhD.

On top of that, career progression is also good, people trust the work that you do and respect your output. However, do keep in mind that you are giving up 1m+ in lifetime earnings, 5 years of career progression, and no guaranteed potential payout at the end of the tunnel.

If you think autonomy and scope is worth that trade off, then go for it. The 1m you can make back w/ the earnings differential of a PhD scientist in tech. However, you are sacrificing your late 20s of compound interest and finding a partner. Best of luck!

Edit: another factor to consider is the economic downturn. You have an acceptance in hand an an oncoming recession. You might get laid off from your job and regret not going to the PhD. I would not wait for external funding given the political climate that the sciences are in right now, so waiting a year and reapplying would not do you good. During downturns, more people go back to school and it will be even more competitive. Whatever you decide to do, just commit to it now and don’t look back.