Not sure I agree. Look at all these court cases producing juicy emails from tech giants.
At least at the entry level, I think a lot of the "don't say the word 'competition'" training started as a reaction to relatively recent legal tangles - it wouldn't be surprising if people at the senior level also have gotten more careful about how they communicate.
That said, people get complacent and then wham - front page of the New York Times saying something dumb.