From the original NY Times article [1]: > Google could have fired Mr. Rubin and paid him little to nothing on the way out. [...] > When Google fires lower-lev

From the original NY Times article [1]: > Google could have fired Mr. Rubin and paid him little to nothing on the way out. [...] > When Google fires lower-level employees, it typically marches them out immediately and pays little, if any, severance. But for senior executives, Google weighs other factors, said former executives. A wrongful termination lawsuit could mean unwanted media attention for Google and the victims of a misconduct case, with a loss resulting in significant damages. It doesn't say explicitly, but it sounds like they didn't have a legal obligation to pay him; rather, they did so to avoid the possibility of a lawsuit or bad press. What they definitely didn't have to do was this: > Afterward, Google invested in Playground Global, a venture firm Mr. Rubin started six months after leaving the company. It's one thing to pay severance if you don't think you can win an unlawful termination lawsuit, but it's another entirely to invest in that person's next venture after you're absolved of any legal obligation to them. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/technology/google-sexual-harassment-andy-rubin.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/technology/google-sexual-...