159 left and they are 8.4% of the workforce according to the article.
159 is 8.4% of X
Equation: Y = P% of X
Solving our equation for X
X = Y/P%
X = 159/8.4%
Converting percent to decimal:
X = 159/8.4\* 100
X = 1892.85714
People who take their job personally tend to assume other people do too. Basic psychological projection. The CEO is probably doing this too.
A lot of people just view their job as a thing they do for the compensation. Taking the offer or not is about the opportunities and struggles they'll be facing either way, not their personal feelings about the company.
On the other hand, people looking to switch jobs or having sufficient options might take the easy cash despite not disagreeing (or not caring about the feud).
It depends on how you assess the risk. If one is certain that within six months they will find a new job that is as good as, or better, than their current job – sure, why not? But some people might come to the conclusion that the risk is too high. Especially if they like the role/team/company.
Switching jobs also carries “transaction costs”. Doing interviews, perhaps LeetCode tests, etc, can be exhausting.
Another factor to weigh in: Many companies do RTO now, so if Automattic offer 100% remote work, that itself is a pretty good selling point.
With these considerations in mind, I can see why some employees will opt to decline the offer.
