Those with their heads in the corporate stratosphere value the perception of their own reputation more that anything else. Threaten it and your out, even if you actually do operate in the real rarified air polishing their turds and rolling them in glitter.
Unless you can play their game at their level then taking them on is simply career suicide. Don't believe me? There is a famous Australian media tycoon who is more than well off and just happens to have significant ownership of a popular Australian honey brand which is sold as 100% pure but has recently been found to contain other artificial ingredients. He is currently engaged with a very famous lawyer gagging anyone who wants to question his reputation on the matter.