Or they knew this would blow up on Twitter, but that they would get in trouble in China for refusing the government request of their own volition. So they did

Or they knew this would blow up on Twitter, but that they would get in trouble in China for refusing the government request of their own volition. So they did what the govt wanted, waited for the uproar, and now they can CYA by blaming the Western mob on the forced change of heart. Zoom ends up doing the right thing, and the execs don't end up in a gulag somewhere.