[isthatafact]

I am no expert, and I am not sure what is meant by "nepo", but that seems like a wild mischaracterization or exaggeration.

Is there evidence?

It seems obvious that parents can increase or decrease the odds of someone starting a career in an "elite" field requiring advanced education like "Science", but I interpret your comment as suggesting that most scientists got their job by means of daddy donating to a university or some other silly fantasy.

[moralestapia]

>Is there evidence?

No evidence, I'm obviously lying ...

Btw, nepo is broader than "my dad donated". Most (all?) worthy positions in academia depend more on who you're friends with than on talent just by itself.

[isthatafact]

"worthy position" could only mean a relatively senior position, so the scientist would have already demonstrated success via publications, and having friends would of course be expected and required in a collaborative line of work. But hiring at that level would be done by a committee, not simply by a personal friend. If that is "nepo", then the term is meaningless.

But that really has nothing to do with the original gripe about "day zero", which would generally mean getting into a masters or phd program, or perhaps an undergrad research project, where grades and standardized test scores get someone in the door -- social skills sufficient to hold a brief conversation about a science topic would be a nice bonus, but not really necessary.