I don't think G's executive leadership paying attention to this kind of complaint is as idealistic/optional as you lay it out to be. Google software engineers

I don't think G's executive leadership paying attention to this kind of complaint is as idealistic/optional as you lay it out to be. Google software engineers have many choices as for where to work. Google distinguishes itself by (among other things) promoting an open culture of feedback and egalitarian decision making. I actually think this is a pretty good perk - feeling like your voice is heard is empowering and motivating. If Google stops listening to it's employees, even a vocal minority of them, they risk a loss of that culture. Since there are many other major tech companies in the valley that have a similarly open culture, the risk of brain drain is real. Obviously this has a limit. If the engineers demand Google stop serving Ads, I think they'd be swiftly ignored. But for other less crucial things it's a much harder question. It even seems like employee sway is persuasive even for significant projects (China expansion, DoD contract), so I'd reckon that Google leadership takes the threat of attrition pretty seriously.