> manager: well we are not going to do those, so thank you for your time. We accept your resignation and would like it to start immediately (i.e. you're fired).
The thing is, there's a big difference between resigning and being fired for cause, even if both end with you not working at the company anymore.
IANAL, but my best guess is that she was just let go without cause. Your employer can fire you at any time and technically doesn't need a reason. Typically, "terminated with cause" is a specific thing where they fire you and give a specific reason (e.g. stealing) that might have bearing on whether you receive unemployment benefits, accrued vacation, etc. It's hard to imagine that they fired her in that way and that she was just plain-old-fired (there's a reason for it, but not legal cause).
Firing for cause would be something of a “nuclear option” here and IMO would significantly increase the risk of a court battle. The peanuts Google would save in severance costs would not be worth the PR damage.
The thing is, there's a big difference between resigning and being fired for cause, even if both end with you not working at the company anymore.