&gt;&gt; Other people (i.e. investors) are making money off your work<p>If you are philosophically averse to this, your options seem pretty limited to me.<p>If you join a startup, it might be investors, as you point out. If you join a big company, it will be that company&#x27;s shareholders. If you start your own company, it might be your own investors, or if you have none, the government taxing your corporate profits. Also better not start any company doing things like productivity tools, raw materials, etc. Your customers might make money off your work that way...