One thing that never is discussed is how laws are barriers. Some YouTube channels exist and if they were in the USA they wouldn't make it due to our strict laws.
Also, some lab equipment is just a small market and so prices are insane. See any semiconductor manufacturing device....or special lasers or vacuum pumps.
The article sorta-kinda touches on it but it really should have gone deeper into the elephant in the room: having a career in science means you're resigned to shit pay with a heavy schooling burden.
You can drop out of college and get an engineering job at a corporation and make $100k-300k a year, but if you get a research job at a university or government agency you'll be making five figures and forever paying off your debt from your three degrees.