It's good that Chromium is degoogle'd more, however did they really notice it thanks to an audit? Probably anyone in the organization could have pinpointed this

It's good that Chromium is degoogle'd more, however did they really notice it thanks to an audit? Probably anyone in the organization could have pinpointed this situation existing for years. Or are they just fed up with the (somewhat) popular forks gaining traction? I understand Google's point of view but the phrasing it as a result of an external audit seems funny.