Yes and no. Google, Apple, et al are just using the official names in the GNIS. So while the decision from the powers that be was insanely arbitrary, in the case of the mapmakers this is far from their first rodeo when it comes to conflicted place names.
Stupid as the change is, it's not their stupidity. Should the tech companies really override the USGS and decide for themselves what things ought to be called? That seems like a messy precedent.
AP is refusing to update its style guides to use the new name and has been barred from Press Briefings. The messy precedent was the renaming itself. There are valid reasons to not go along with this, or slow walk it, have it go through an internal committee, etc.
What should Tim Cook call himself if, say, a little DOGE-ie gets into the Passport or IRS or SEC systems and actually changes all Tim Cook references to Tim Apple?
I don't think it's "deciding for themselves" to choose to use a name that is authenticated by centuries of history and use.
The USGS should be a record of how things are named, like a dictionary is a record of what words mean, not a political organ for disseminating newspeak.
I'm a bit conflicted. We consistently hear Americans being told that it isn't proper to call them Americans because America is composed of more countries than the US. If that is a valid argument, then there is no reason why we shouldn't be more inclusive on the naming of the Gulf.
On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of renaming places.
Google: Gulf of America name change in the U.S.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43012079
Google Maps now shows the 'Gulf of America'
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43007052