Compliance (or lack thereof) is just one element of risk that a company has to face. The folks that take those jobs are typically risk averse and struggle to move quickly, as one might imagine. You can't let them run the company or you're going to get destroyed by less apprehensive competition, but if you ignore everything they say you're running a completely different set of risks. It's a balance, like everything else in risk management.
Her decision to leave is obviously a personal one. Bailing over one disagreement seems a bit unsustainable from a career standpoint, but there could be a track record or she could feel exposed by the public nature of the conversation.
If you express strenuous disagreement and are in an officer role, when your "advice" is only treated as advice to follow or ignore, you have to take a stand if you believe in yourself. Because it's your head that's going to roll when this chicken comes home to roost. Better to go out with honor and preserve your integrity, in some cases.
Well, it's either that or she completely misjudged the position offered her. Seems gitlab didn't want an officer in this position but rather just a VP with an officer title.
Her decision to leave is obviously a personal one. Bailing over one disagreement seems a bit unsustainable from a career standpoint, but there could be a track record or she could feel exposed by the public nature of the conversation.