I think that the point is that typically in startups, people revere the company founders, the MBAs, the VCs, etc. and not the quiet experienced engineers that just make things happen

I disagree. I think that engineers get a huge amount of attention, far more than they would in any other industry. But at a base level you need to be outgoing and sociable- it seems that proportionally fewer engineers are, when compared to MBAs, VCs and the like.