You're right, but it is entirely prisoner's dilemma.
The rational decision, when you know you cannot control how others will act, is to minimize the pain. If you saw the HN thread on Thursday, there were founders posting that they were told it will be fine. How do you think they were feeling on Friday?
And it is not a personal decision, continuity of business is a pretty big deal. Nobody in the company would forgive you for missing their payroll, because you thought it was the ethical thing to do.
The rational decision, when you know you cannot control how others will act, is to minimize the pain. If you saw the HN thread on Thursday, there were founders posting that they were told it will be fine. How do you think they were feeling on Friday?
And it is not a personal decision, continuity of business is a pretty big deal. Nobody in the company would forgive you for missing their payroll, because you thought it was the ethical thing to do.