Summarizing the event from memory, it seemed during the BLM virtue signalling craze -- he told his staff, "Coinbase exists to make money and not to be political. If you are unhappy about the lack of political expression and you need to leave because of discomfort over this -- the employer will apologize with a parting gift of a large sum of money."
Essentially, he bribed the toxic political radicals to leave and take the payout.
Perhaps they want to limit their corporate position on political issues to the ones directly relevant to them, so as to not repel people who disagree on an unrelated issue.
They walk a very fine line. It seems like a difficult balancing act of compliance with regulators while appealing to users who expect hyper inflation and envision a libertarian utopian future.
Essentially, he bribed the toxic political radicals to leave and take the payout.