> Because this is how a lot of people get free labor from idealistic engineers.

A more charitable and, I believe honest, way to frame that is that businesses pay people for their labor using a mixture of money and meaning. If the compensation provides more of the latter, it makes sense for the total package to have less of the former.

If I was offered two jobs:

1. Job A: I write code to help an insurance company update its actuarial tables.

2. Job B: I write code to help a climate change organization calculate better ways to save energy.

Then, yes, I'll take less salary to take Job B. I'm not being exploited. I'm being paid in a profoundly meaningful way.

Always remember that money is an indirection. The ultimate goal is a meaningful life that supports your values. Earning money lets you spend it on those meaningful things. But you don't always have to go through cash to get there.

The real trick is finding companies that are actually doing work that aligns with your values and not just trying to appear to be.