I agree, but as 'Bill Gates' said on The Simpsons: "I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks."

Easily justified as good marketing. This #1 post on HN will Google (in various ways) much more than the cash they could have used to look like good guys, even if it wasn't done out of goodness.

Much more than the cash to handle potentially thousands of applicants who were in a similar position?

(Don't get me wrong, I do think large companies should be held to higher ethical standards, but we don't seem to be there yet.)

No mention of the relocation bonus. Was there one? Did they rescind that as well? Since I'm 90% sure Google would pay for international relocation, and the blog post didn't mention it (which it surely would have if Google had offered then rescinded one), I suspect he did get to keep that.

I am pretty sure for most corporations you get the bonus after you moved, unless they contracted a relocation company and you accepted their service.

Those don't get paid in advance. They're paid as part of your paycheck.

It's simple profit motive. What you're asking for is something else