That particular question is a major red flag to me as an interviewee, maybe because most people who ask it are not interested in an honest answer (the most hone

That particular question is a major red flag to me as an interviewee, maybe because most people who ask it are not interested in an honest answer (the most honest being: "you offer money for work, I offer work for money"), but have been told by some HR voodoo master that this almost-ritual incantation reveals deep psychological insights into the interviewee's mind. At best, it only tells you if they prepared by memorizing ideal answers and can lie convincingly. An infrastructure engineer's top motivation does not have to experience a deep appreciation of the faux philosophy in your founder's ghostwritten business tales book for him/her to be an effective employee. Things like soft skills and technical know-how are a lot more important - things that cannot be easily faked in an interview situation. The best interviews are those that do not follow a script. Remember: In a job interview, the potential hire is not the only one on trial.