Most people in business are super petty to the extent that they will go out of their way to spoil your win if it galls them. Even and especially owners and business people.

Would you include middle management in this category? I've been in situations where work I've done will attract the attention of someone in upper management and the boss gets insecure and starts sandbagging. It's usually done in a passive aggressive way though.

Co-workers are almost always the ultimate cowardly normies. They stay in their ostrich holes, they don't want to hear about reality outside their holes, even reacting with anger and resentment when shown reality.

True! It seems like 20% of the people tend to do 80% of the work in most companies. The 80% freeload off of the 20% but would never give them credit. If anyone in the 20% even insinuate that this is the case, they are a big target of the anger and resentment that you speak of.

And they desperately avoid appearing to not conform.

Actually I've run into the opposite in recent years. Maybe things have changed. Earlier in my career, nobody wanted to come across as a "suck up". Now it seems that everyone is a "suck up" and there is no shame in it.

Co-workers are as a result always envious and miserable.

True!
Many people are weird when it comes to work and money. They pretend they love their job (look at social media). Yet they resent having to work and do what they can to do as little as possible, while sabotaging those with an actual work ethic.

They try to make as much money for themselves as possible while shaming others who earn more (even if they worked for it).....as if any of it really matters in the grand scheme of things.

Most employee/FTE types are a cross between North Korean citizens and dopey NPR listening brainwashed liberal normies. They have attributes of both. (Specific example: co workers will usually rat out acquaintances to management. That's basically totalitarian social behavior.)

Many believe they are owed a job and that it is not on them to earn a job.

I know the "tattle tale" type. They nitpick at something you "failed" to do and catch you off guard while CCing multiple managers. I've run into this on quite a few occasions.

BTW had a first (and likely last) date the other day with some chick who listens to NPR. I guess that is a red flag lol.

Watching my money closely became a high priority once I started contracting. A heads down employee can count on the paycheck. As a contractor you have to have the funds every quarter to pay your withholdings+FICA as well as just pay your bills... but taxes come first. I would hear about dumbasses that I used to work with who got out of contracting basically because they failed to accumulate the quarterly tax payment and then were in the hole and had some interest and penalties. They blamed contracting but it was really that they were thinking like 10 year olds and lack any semblance of financial self control.

In general most grown adults think like 10 year olds about their own affairs.

Yeah many tend to mismanage their money and live beyond their means.

Also, being on the outside I started to see more clearly how childish and gossipy most of my peers were.

I saw this in school and it hasn't changed in adulthood. The bigger the company, the more of these types that tend to work there.

In short - I stopped being a "civilian" when I decided to turn down jobs and contract.

A small step compared to other life steps, perhaps, but I know so fucking many people IRL who wouldn't ever take even a baby step like that.

True! And then I'm sure some have had the nerve to say you're lucky when it was all about your planning and work ethic.