This problem isn't limited to Google. Everyone remembers the creator, nobody cares about the maintainer. There's a reason why software developers in general earn more than QA.
A lot of mgmt philosophies used in the corporate world attempt to recognize this structurally. But it rarely reflects in the pay packet. Banks for instance are an exception and maintenance and BAU staff are generally paid the same as developers.
My current client see productisation and day to day running and ongoing maintenance as the hardest part of a project (as much to internal structural failings as anything else).
