Not saying your conclusion is necessarily accurate (though I don't disagree), but anecdotally my own experience was similar. I interviewed for a design position

Not saying your conclusion is necessarily accurate (though I don't disagree), but anecdotally my own experience was similar. I interviewed for a design position with Automattic 3 or 4 years ago and made it to the contract stage, and ultimately had to decline because the $25 contract gig was just so off-putting. Not to mention the super-intimidating terms and intellectual property agreement that came with the trial gig.