I'm going contrary!
Back in the late 80's the world was a different place. Things like license controls and unique serial numbers registering with an Internet server didn't exist. Yes, the company should have paid for the license. However, it was not our hero's place to enforce the company's agreement to the license terms, especially with a hidden time bomb. He took the money to do the job, and enforcement of ethics was not part of the job scope.
My gut check says.... Our hero has felt a smidge of guilt for the scorched earth. He shared the story here to assuage his guilt and be re-judged by today's standards.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
