[PaulHoule]

It's not just an incentive, it's necessary.

Being a whistleblower is astonishingly destructive to your career in many ways. Even if there wasn't the issue of getting blackballed, the psychological trauma of it is immense.

The only way you can create the psychological safety that makes it possible is to make sure the whistleblower gets paid enough that they aren't going to need to to work again. If they've got that security, they might be able to work again.

[toomuchtodo]

Work in financial services, know people who were whistleblowers (2008 GFC), all entirely accurate. Your career is effectively over after you become a whistleblower, so the reward must be very high.