I kind of feel similar about this to the shoplifting one. If it's what you've gotta do to survive a hostile system, fair enough. But if you're just exploiting the system in order to make loads of money, and rationalizing to yourself that you're sticking it to The Man, that doesn't impress me.

Yes, 6 months parental leave shared between two caregivers seems like a horror story from a European perspective. And yes, a Fortune 500 company isn't going to suffer financially for this minor bit of bending the rules, and indeed they probably do far worse in wage theft and extractive practices. But coworker isn't so much punishing his employer for being unethical, as contributing to a society where women's labour is exploited. Even if his specific wife is completely on board with this arrangement, it's making the world worse for women in general, IMO.