The truest measure of wealth is the degree to which working becomes a choice. It's a continuum - a little wealth gives you short-term freedom like choosing to start a business, whereas $10m+ gives you the option of doing whatever you like for the rest of your life without worrying about an income.
I suspect most people have things they like to do if they suddenly came into a large fortune, but continuing at their day job is rarely one of them. Actually, with people who win the lottery you often see the opposite - they don't need to work, but they feel pressured to do something and often end up losing spectacular amounts of money in foolish business ventures.
I hear the startup crowd screaming "Wha!" $1m is more than enough of a safety blanket to quit your "day job" and work on your own ideas for even a decade or more. This article clearly assumes being rich involves "not working", yet all of the rich people I know personally are perhaps the hardest workers I know.