Apple Hides Taiwan Flag in Hong Kong

What's it take for an engineer in the US to actually do something like this?

If my boss/product manager wanted me to do something like this, I'd be calling them out for shitty politics, and telling them they need to find a new engineer because I'd quit immediately - and likely incite others to come with me.

Maybe I have a higher sense of morality than others, but I'm no shill for China's power over Taiwan. I can use my entitlement/privilege as an engineer to say "fuck off" to anyone who wants me to do things I find immoral. Furthering the needs of a power hungry regime looking to assert dominance over others? Nope. I spend all my day working to further democracy and freedom, not to enable free thought and self-determination to be squashed.

Whoever coded this change and approved this PR, shame on you.

Apple is based in Cupertino, which is at least half Chinese, and is a heavily staffed with Chinese overall. You assume they have Western political sensibilities.

Edit: latest demographic data from Wiki, from 2010, says 63% Asian and 26% Chinese

Ah that yellow peril coming out of the woodwork again.

Aren't most Chinese citizens actually backing the Chinese government on this?

The post references Cupertino, not Shanghai. Or are you trying to say something else?

I'm saying that it's not even remotely far-fetched to believe that Chinese Americans living in Cupertino would hold beliefs similar to those who live where they are (or were) from. Implying it's racism is frankly childish.