I enjoyed that article. When I was younger I was coasting on the academic path. It's funny because while people in this stream are clearly gifted and society likes to keep telling you so, when you are there it becomes clear that moving forward in the defined path is the path of least resistance. Paths of least resistance offer the least opportunity to grow. I also got the sense that the vast majority of research is, like the author of the article suggests, a bunch of fudging of results designed to fit a predetermined conclusion.
It is only later as you grow older that you realize how idealistic and romantic your impressions of research or analysis were as a young man. The point is not that the BCG wastes their clients money, it's that clients use the BCG to achieve their own ends. If I grew up on the streets of Cairo and built up a multi-billion dollar industry do you really think I need a fresh-faced MIT grad (even one who is gifted and principled) to tell me how to run my business more effectively or to tell me that I'm making an error in judgement? Business Consultants exist primarily to serve the ulterior motives of their clients. I am glad the author has found a different more rewarding path but I think his guilt is misplaced because he doesn't recognize the primary function of his former employer.