I've heard that SpaceX is a bit like that, and is advertised as such. People sign up. I do think people are willing to plow into things that truly are that inspiring, but we just don't do much of that stuff. It's usually not profitable.
It's also not always pleasant. A guy who went through special forces told me once: "I'm glad I did it, but I would never do it again."
This might be an unpopular comment, but I think at least part of the reason you don't see people plow into inspiring things these days is less about lack of profitability and more about an overabundance of diversity.
Inspiration looks different to different people. If people don't have a shared vision, they aren't going to be able to collaborate on shared projects at the same level as people that do have a shared vision.
It's also not always pleasant. A guy who went through special forces told me once: "I'm glad I did it, but I would never do it again."