I like that essay but it completely fails to understand motivation. The current problem in software is that employers want developers to become interchangeable commodities. This isn’t to save money but to free management from talent restrictions. Many developers somehow falsely believe these decisions are in their personal interests because the barriers to entry are lowered to levels they find acceptable enough to allow their participation.

Solving for motivation just means being honest with yourself about what you really want.

If you want to be employable then be at the center of the bell curve and just do what everyone else does. If you want to make more money then find employment with far higher barriers of entry. If you actually want to enjoy what you do then write your own software without compensation.