There's some irony in using the phrase 'bad apples' because it comes from the idiom, "one bad apple spoils the barrel" which is about how rotting apples give of

There's some irony in using the phrase 'bad apples' because it comes from the idiom, "one bad apple spoils the barrel" which is about how rotting apples give off ethylene gas that causes other apples around them to rot faster. Corrupt bad actors that can get away with what's described in the article exist in a culture that corrupts everyone else eventually leading to a situation where the only people willing to join or stay are 'bad apples' protected by a culture of other bad apples. When something is this bad you probably need large purges as opposed to firing a couple individuals. I don't think you can do this from within, some serious restructuring or oversight has to happen from elsewhere. I suspect in most organizations of people you have 10% that care about doing the right thing, 10% that will do bad things and 80% that will do either depending on who is around them.