Also, I feel like this view of software developers' motivation would have a really hard time explaining major FOSS projects.
Then there's the other bucket of people, who are just trying to make a living, but the environment makes it hard for them to do so due to it being so toxic. And this is where no amount of starry-eyed speeches will sway this group to working harder without pure cash. They're there to make money, they understand that the employer they work for are gonna get richer while they only get inflation-rate increases. These people would rather spend their time with family and friends.
For what it's worth though, based on friends who are chaplains and priests, those dying on hospital beds always tell a tale of being with friends or family, or personal events that gave them positive memories. Not a single one of those people they talked to ever spoke of how they did well at any of their jobs. And from this I think most of us fall under the second bucket. To encounter someone like Linus or Stallman who would probably talk about their work as a life achievement is probably a one-off unicorn.
I have hobbies, friends, family, etc. that I consider more important to who I am as a person than my job is. However, I still have a marginal preference for decently-paid meaningful work over well-paid meaningless work.