https://medium.com/@villispeaks/the-blitzhire-acquisition-e3... explores this some more. The remaining employees need to make it look like the business is still viable

Thanks, that's a great article.

I wonder whether the left-behind small-fry employees make out comparably to how they would with an IPO or big acquisition.

Or if the deal is more like: "We'll pay you double what you could make elsewhere for the 2 years we want you to Potemkin Village, or you can walk and get paid zero; we don't care, because enough people will stay."

And everyone who didn't get a Google employee badge agreed because "x%" was big enough?

I guess VCs can't force founders to stay (the only penalty for joining Google is loosing some/all of their Windsurf equity, but I'm sure they chose what's better for them), and employees didn't need to agree (they have no vote).

I can guess a few angles and causes for legal action. I'm wondering what the deal was to incentive people not to take that legal action.