Does it have to immediately comply? I see no reason, ie if Xi decided to rename Uighur-majority places into say Han-style names, or same for Tibet. Google is not official government branch, I see no reason to be forced immediately to act upon such decisions.
What I see is desperate attempt of all those previously-admired big CEOs to try to please emotional and vengeful head of current administration however they can, including official bribes.
Maybe I have incorrect viewing lens or logic, but it certainly looks from outside that way.
I don't think Xinjiang or Tibet are helpful analogies. India recently changed a city's name from Allahabad to Prayagraj; should Google have carefully analyzed the circumstances behind this name change and rejected it if they feel the process was too silly or too Hindutva?
Google doesn’t operate in China but if they did, they would have to comply with Chinese law. For example, iPhones in China don’t have a Taiwanese flag emoji.
What I see is desperate attempt of all those previously-admired big CEOs to try to please emotional and vengeful head of current administration however they can, including official bribes.
Maybe I have incorrect viewing lens or logic, but it certainly looks from outside that way.