I find with 'employee' jobs, you're either "in on it", or not. By "in on it", I mean that you either have equity in the company, or a very large percent of you

I find with 'employee' jobs, you're either "in on it", or not. By "in on it", I mean that you either have equity in the company, or a very large percent of your pay is related to the success of the company, or that you have some confidence that your career will rise with the fortunes of the company (rather than being dumped or hired-over as it grows), or there are career growth prospects in the case of larger corporations, or merely that you're accruing cutting-edge skills and experience that improve your future job prospects. Or you're not "in on it", and stuck just swapping time for money. In the former case people often willing to spill blood and sweat for the good of the company (and thus their own benefit). In the later case, they will be out to get everything they can, regardless of the company's fortunes.