It should be about motivation, and most people are best motivated by being paid adequately, not being harassed and being able to maintain a work-life balance. It doesn't hurt if you feel that you are making a difference at work either.

Now in most culture-obsessed companies this is not how it works, instead you are being gaslighted into sacrificing yourself for the company.

I fully agree. Some other observations I’ve noticed as a mid career engineer:

- Boot on the ground doing the most work getting rewarded with the most labor

- Promotions are used strategically to entice people into toxic assignments nobody else wants or to appease flight risks

You'll get a ton of different answers. In my experience what gets to the crux of it is:

What gets rewarded and what gets punished?

That will clearly define what the company culture is.