It's insane to me how often I see takes like this, where it's clear that not only did they not play the game, they didn't even watch a second of gameplay.

If the game didn't HEAVILY penalize you for actually trying to exploit your pals, I'd agree, but mechanically a sweatshop will actually produce nothing at all in a short period of time. Bad working conditions lead to pals stopping work altogether until you let them rest, feed them, etc. to the point it's obvious their marketing and actual game design aren't in lockstep. You're REQUIRED to treat pals well to make substantial progress.