> It’s like faults are somehow contagious.

They are. If 737 MAX was rushed to market and this is the first issue we become aware of, how many more are hidden?

If Boeing makes a habit of rushing planes to market without certification, how many more ticking time-bombs are flying around?

The notion that you can fix an aerodynamic stability problem in software by making a software program mimic the flight characteristics of an older plane is fundamentally flawed. And the notion that we can just patch the system later if it turns out you did it wrong is dangerous. You're betting with human lives that this time you've got it right.

Why is it fundamentally flawed?

There’s no question that Boeing’s implementation had major issues, but there is IMO a higher burden of argument(?) to declare that a fundamental inevitability.

This could simply be a case of Boeing incompetent/reckless/...