That illustrates the hazards of speaking off the cuff. If he integrated that into the earlier sentences it would have sounded a lot better, e.g.: "Larry and Sergey have fostered a culture that allows open debate, not a culture where people get fired for things like this."

Yeah, I don't want to foment yet more fake controversy. I think you're right about what he meant to communicate. I'd just suggest not joking in public about firing people.