Being cynical and realistic doesn't mean you don't work hard and produce great work product. It just means that you demand to be compensated appropriately for the work you do, without being fooled by gimmicks. See, e.g., anyone who works on Wall Street. These folks live and breathe their work, yet are smart and realize that the only real way a company values your contribution is in the size of your bonus checks. That doesn't mean that culture, collegiality, perks, etc, are unimportant. It means that they aren't a replacement for compensation and/or time off.
Couldn't agree with this comment more. Far too often, a world class technical talent, upon whose shoulders billion dollar companies are being built, is happy to accept a free lunch, tshirts, beer bashes, and other distractions that might cost their company on the order of $10k per employee (if that).
One of the employees I had the most respect for was one of our core crypto consultants who explicitly said, "As soon as I walk in the door each day the clock starts, and I charge $500/hour. It stops when I walk out the door." In pretty much those words.
There was no bantering of free lunches or beer bashes (or, for that matter, stock options) with him. All business and execution.
