These aren't 20-something coders living in the valley with an endless list of job opportunities and 30+ remaining working years. These are employees who are very close to retirement who live in an area where Disney is the giant in terms of tech job offerings. They have families and financial obligations that are dependent on the salary they were receiving. As the article stated, many were forced to retire early and many others have not been able to find work.

They likely don't enough time left in their careers to be able to 'look back on it and laugh'.