I mean, the honest truth is: They walked out, made clear demands. Google refused to enact all but one of them. If they stuck around, it wouldn't suggest they were very committed to their goals.

I guess my biggest surprise was that there wasn't a second, more severe "walkout" or "strike" after Google declined to respond adequately. The Walkout made news but it wasn't nearly a strong enough action to really say it was all they could do. Most of the people who walked out went right back to their desks after work and kept working.