I said both were "top 8," they both probably top 5. I doubt there's a lot of difference between those companies, frankly.
Look, when you're one of these companies and you can go to 90% of startups and just say "hello" and have them on the verge of sending you their source code, that's a critical tactical advantage.
The lesson is simply - when you get this call, take a breath and realize they're as likely to threaten to sue you as they are to acquire you as they are to let you linger on the hook for months on end. Be upfront, ask explicitly what this is about and where it might be going.
Why are you protecting them? Name them. It blows my mind that there's so much abuse out there but we're willing to cover for terrible companies.