[wpietri]

It's far from hyperbole. Wealth accumulation is a motivation for some. But it's just not central to a great deal of entrepreneurship and innovation. I know one guy who started a billion-dollar company, and his take on profit was entirely utilitarian: "Profit is permission to continue", meaning that it's just an indicator that the business is self-sustaining.

[aww_dang]

This is just subjective value, again. He wants permission to continue, thus he wants profits. From there we can conclude that there is a profit motive.