I think this depends on the culture of the company. In sale&marketing-centric companies, it can be as you described. In engineering-centric companies, engineers sometimes create features and products that customers haven't asked for, and then it's up to sales&marketing to drive adoption, even if it is against customer protests, because the investment needs to be recouped.

I had had the exact same reaction. My career sometimes feels like a series of meetings in which I implore product managers to keep things simple and consistent instead of adding every bell and/or whistle imaginable.