This! Knowing that "this is wrong" is only half the battle. Having the political pull to actually push back and have fellow engineers behind you is the other blade of the scissors necessary to actually cut any wrongdoing.

We have a word for "when everyone who pushes back against wrongdoing must go out on a limb and do it at tremendous personal expense": Gomorrah. (I mean, in the sense of wanton immorality, not the dubious sexual mores.)