MAX is not the only option to achieve fuel efficiency. In fact, MAX is the failed answer from Boeing to the fuel efficiency problem.

Airbus has NEO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A320neo_family

"After a year in service, Lufthansa confirmed the 20% efficiency gain per passenger with up to 180 seats, along with reduced noise and CO₂ emissions.[26] Operators confirm the 15% per seat fuel-burn savings even counterbalanced by the added weight on short sectors, which can rise to 16–17% on longer routes and to 20% or more for Lufthansa with 180 passengers up from 168 with two more seat rows"

Ryanair only fly the 737 Type Rating, so the A320neo wasn't a viable option for them.

"Launched on 1 December 2010, it made its first flight on 25 September 2014 and it was introduced by Lufthansa on 25 January 2016."

vs

"On 8 September 2014, Ryanair made a commitment to order 100 new Boeing 737 MAX 8s (plus options for an additional 100) for delivery from 2019.[75]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A320neo_family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryanair#Fleet_development

I think you're missing the point. Ryanair have only flown the 737 Type Rating since their inception, not solely the 737-8200s they have on order.

The only non-737 Type Rated aircraft in the corporate fleet are the A320-200s that came with the aquisition of Lauda Air, which are set to be replaced by 737-8200s.

The A320neo was never a viable option for Ryanair.

I also expect Ryanair got a hefty discount on increasing their orders for the max

No offense, but your brother being a pilot with them seems irrelevant on whether they are 'pretty good with safety' or not.

Working there is a pretty big bias

Who else (short of the CEO) would you consider more qualified to comment on the safety culture in a company?

Pilots seem uniquely qualified to judge whether a company is prioritizing safety or short-term profit.

For example, a pilot will know whether the company incentivizes pilots to overlook issues to make a flight happen or whether it encourages a safety culture of speaking up and staying on the ground when something comes up, or whether they fly with the absolute minimum of fuel permitted or a little bit more (and whether that is a safety issue or not).

In Ryanair's case that bias may run in the opposite direction to that which you imply: https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cqwdgxed80gt/ryanair-pilots-...

I dunno, there's some jobs you see from the inside you think "wow, this is a disaster" but from the outside it looks fine because that's what the company projects. (Anecdotally, a friend of mine gets horror stories from his brother, who's a mechanic with a very large airline)