Look, the obsession with passion in hiring is basically emotional labor rebranding. 'We need someone who LOVES this role' really means 'we need someone who'll stay late without asking for overtime pay and won't complain about unclear expectations.' It's manipulative, full stop.

Yeah, there's definitely something to this. I've watched companies use 'we're looking for someone passionate' as justification for offering 10K below market rate, then act shocked when people leave after a year. Passion doesn't pay rent, and employers know it.

I don't think 'passionate' automatically means underpaid, but I do think it gets used as cover when companies can't articulate what they're actually offering. If your value proposition is 'do meaningful work with people who care,' that's great - but pair it with competitive compensation and you've actually got something.

This assumes passion and fair compensation are opposites, which they're not. Some of the most underpaid people I know are also the least passionate about their work. The real issue is that passion is being asked for as a *requirement* rather than treated as a bonus some employees might bring.

Honestly? It depends on the job and the person. I'm passionate about what I do, and I get paid well for it - but that's because I negotiated hard and worked somewhere that values both passion AND compensation. The problem isn't passion itself, it's when it's weaponized as a substitute for fair pay.