For what it's worth, the foolishness you describe—striving for a non-zero-sum game, realizing that giving part of our work for free nets us benefits, being will

For what it's worth, the foolishness you describe—striving for a non-zero-sum game, realizing that giving part of our work for free nets us benefits, being willing to do things in our spare time because our hobby and our work happen to overlap—these do not exclude being smart in the workplace and demanding we be paid what we deserve. Someone can simultaneously work on side projects for the greater benefit of the community around them, and make sure their employer is aware that working on stuff because they're interested in their spare time does not mean they can be underpaid. It's up to those that are considered the best by their peer group to lead the way on this. In fact, it's precisely the same mindset that has us contribute to open source for free, with a vision to expanding our collective knowledge base and propel software development as a whole forward, that should push us to demand better treatment and pay of the other developers around us, commensurate with their abilities. There are often two or three lynchpins at smaller companies who can easily ask for more for themselves, because they are invaluable to the organization. Those same lynchpins can also keep an eye on the other folks at the company and make sure they aren't being treated or paid like dirt. It's possible to do this while keeping the organization's own concerns in mind. Arguably this is the kind of thing that ultimately may lead to some sort of union, guild, or association structure, as the people working at one organization start going to work at other ones, and ask their original champions for help on how to be treated well at their new jobs. I for one will have my foolishness, which I truly feel is a great contributor to how fast our industry is able to move, and eat it, too, by looking out for the folks around me at work and doing what I can to make sure they're paid as they deserve, within the confines of what is possible without bankrupting my company. I'm sure it won't always be easy, but I suppose we wouldn't be talking about this if it were.