Thanks for the feedback! I work in the fintech space and work with a lot of devs/engineers so know exactly where you're coming from. You are a great boss and I wish all management would have your attitude. I think it's a distinct advantage to tech because of our agile/sprint mentality and focus on execution and efficiency without letting big egos get in the way.

My personal mindset is that work is always better when it's not for the money, and agree 100% with you. Anecdotally I said this same thing to my CEO when he hired me and he has the same mindset as you, it's a great way to find exceptional employees.

Unfortunately this isn't the case for most of middle management in other industries - for this specific point I'm getting most of my data points from the book "Bullshit Jobs" by anthropologist David Graeber, where management takes on almost a feudalistic approach. A large pool of underlings can be considered both a visible measure of a manager’s worth and leverage in office politics (which I think is absolute wrong for today's world).

Keep preaching and hopefully we'll change the ways of the larger workforce...one day.