Gaylemcd is just bringing the news. It's not her fault that it's bad.
Personal projects are there to help compensate for an otherwise lacking resume. If your resume is on point, you don't need them.
Nine-to-five is absolutely enough if you are a diligent and thoughtful engineer.
When I talk to a company about how to create a hiring process, I tell them that it's unfair to expect side projects from candidates.
Just putting things into perspective for OP. It's like Trump campaign has ties to Russia. Doesn't incriminate him automatically but I would be wary of vested interests. Just an additional data point