Cooperative coworkers who still compete in the spirit if play (Lao Tzu). HR and the low trust/greed driven SV economy make it hard in the bay area, but other cities like Denver and Minneapolis are where I've met best friends who are also passionate programmers. Still looking for an answer myself locally as I've not found many growth minded programmers who also want to/are able to cooperate here.

Tldr: feedback, personal investment, competition