Golden Parachutes are usually in place for termination without just cause. Companies like Google (and many many others) prefer to have a friendly separation with no litigation so they just have them trigger (or give some other similar package) for the executive to go away. I wish more companies with resources such as Google would take a stand and fight. Even if you lose, for such a wealthy company the extra cost should be minimal.

What does it say to your employees when they know that the higher up the ladder you are, the less accountable you are if you screw up?

What does it say for a company to decline to enforce+defend its values in open court when it's really pressed?