I don't think that is universally the case. I transitioned back into academia after being in industry. Admittedly, I was only out in industry a couple of years and I've not found academia to my liking.

My background is microelectronics, and in my experience there is still a big skills gap inside academia which I think only people from industry can really fill. There is no substitute for practical/applied engineering experience, and that experience goes a very long way in informing how realistic or implementable a piece of new research is.

If professors are insightful enough to see the skills which engineers from industry can offer academia, then it's a benefit to everyone.