Quite frankly, it's cultural and the thing I hear a lot is simply: fuck that for a job!

I could quite happily get on fine at one of those big American style startups but I don't get excited about hype, I don't have the work culture it demands and I don't have a price on my soul. I'd rather earn a lot less, have extreme stability, have better family time and balance. On top of that there's something tasteless and unethical about a lot of the big startups. Do they really bring good things to society? Do I really want to be part of that?

If I can walk away with half the money, live a modest life and stand with my principles intact, I will take that over twice the money.

I don't think this is political at all. It's not a race either and we have no innate responsibility to build things like this.