I agree re your 2nd point - a company can be a horrible employer and make tonnes of money; indeed, many companies exist within that realm. That is why regulation is important and if there is any gripe with modern day capitalism, it is the loss of union protections and the failure of regulation to keep up with worker protections (particularly for companies like Uber, Airbnb)
I am not trying to validate any culture. I make this clear in the piece too - I've got no idea about Away's culture and dont have any data points other than the 'Verge piece'. But I do have friends who work at startups/investment banks/hedge funds/consulting firms and naturally work and workplace oddities is something that gets discussed among us often. My point being that such stories can be constructed about any employer if the complaint is of the type 'We've got a passive aggressive boss who doesn't respect work-life balance' Hope that clarifies where I'm coming from.