More likely: employees were attending too much for the reasons inconvenient to the executives. As an ex-Googler: this is the surest indication yet that Google is in deep trouble. TGIF would be canceled from time to time before when the execs suspected things would get confrontational and employees wouldn't like even remotely honest answers. But to cancel them basically permanently is going to blow up in Sundar's face. The ongoing communication channel, as difficult as it might be politically for both sides, is an integral (and very beneficial) part of Google culture. Or, _was_, at this point.