It sounds to me like you're suggesting, without any supporting evidence, that everyone everywhere only does the minimum amount of work necessary to not get fired.

I'd guess this is true at a minority of organizations, and that it largely depends on an organization's culture. Is it true at MIRI?

Edit: Some arguments that large companies are getting less incompetent. I'm sure I could identify lots of top-selling business books that cover the topic of how to motivate your workers to create great products for your company. It seems a little implausible that none of what they suggest works. And as time passes, I'd expect for more and more such books to be published, and the books with the best advice to be read and recommended more and more widely.