[plusCubed]

> The employees revolted so strongly the project was cancelled.

Exactly - the buck stopped at company leadership beholden to internal/public reputation, rather than a central authoritarian government with the power to make you disappear.

[skummetmaelk]

In a non democratic system citizens can revolt peacefully against such policies.

A company is hardly better. Google could have decided to let the unhappy employees go. Most of them would probably have stayed and wiped their tears with their comp anyway.