I think a key point maybe getting missed here is that cults do not want their members to leave. In Digital Vegan I wrote a short chapter about cults in tech, or rather the "cults of tech". Facebook is one (for the users not employees). Emotional blackmail and tricks are used to keep people from leaving. Here it seems withdrawing membership is a threat to enforce behaviours, as in many secret/privileged societies, hence, as I said in a comment above, this is a clique within Google (of cult members - and probably participants in all sorts of other unsavoury and disgraceful stuff)

Edit: to distinguish membership of Google from membership of the "Fellowship" cult)