Ask HN: Has anyone gone from work to academia post mid 30's?

I'm 42 and meh. I've run my own company, worked in a couple startups, and am employed by a big-4 now. I see the people above me and blech: I could get on a bigger stage "architecting" bigger projects but who cares.

I feel my heart is in academia. I've felt that for years. Has anyone made the jump this late in the game?