The failure of the 600-employee letter confirms something the Project Maven exit obscured: that campaign succeeded because the public pressure was new, the moment was legible, and leadership had no prepared position. None of those conditions held this time. Google brushed off staff revolt and described the deal as something to be 'proud of.' When a company frames military contracting as a point of corporate identity, an open letter becomes a document of record rather than a lever of influence. The employees who signed it demonstrated the scope of internal…