I agree having technical leadership makes a huge difference. Still, most developers don't realize that if they push back hard enough, a lot of those loud "done yesterday" requirements dissolve. Non technical people always ask for more than they expect they'll get.
If you try to explain they just say things like "don't write bad code so you won't need tests and refactoring"
My new rule of thumb is: don't work for companies without a technical co-founder.