Exactly. The problem is that whistleblower protections come from the government. The courts cannot be trusted to always have your back. Hell, I would go further and outright assume that they will blatantly favor corporate interests.
I do not blame someone for not wanting to risk the exposure.
In this case I'd stress that the FAA itself cannot be assumed to "have your back", given their coziness with Boeing
(although I can't know if the whistleblowers were truthful)
I do not blame someone for not wanting to risk the exposure.