My brother spent a couple of decades of his engineering career trying to make the fusion reactor work. He was one of a very few people worldwide who were experimenting with how to control the plasma shield that kept it from self-destructing. Finally the funding dried up, and he had to go into a different area of research. Now he does computer modeling for automotive manufacturers as a private consultant at a minimum rate of $1K a day. Yes. they're glad to pay his asking price!
