"Google used shady dark patterns to trick users to install Chrome for years, so we're just returning the favor" - MS product manager, possibly

The trick of it is, this did happen for a long time. Here's Avast's updater and Flash's installer trying to trick users into installing Google Chrome: https://imgur.com/gallery/WWZxj

We are back to the bouncer economy, just like when bouncers are chasing you with free entrance tickets to the nightclub for a "few" drinks (salty "free lunch" at the saloon in the old days), browser vendors are chasing you with free browsers to hook you up for some good ol' data mining.

The user isn't their boss, a boss at Microsoft is. Who do they need to justify the changes to?

Windows 10 Home, the one most people are on, is free. They need to make back that money.

I don't particularly like it but MS is doing what every other free app is doing. The user needs to be tricked.

AFAICT license doesn't allow you to use it for free, but they won't prevent the use of it, like they did with the previous versions. IMO this is better for them, because otherwise people would just pirate it, and Microsoft certainly don't want even more PCs that are not properly patched.

Additionally, prebuilt systems present the majority of sold PCs, in which case OEMs pay for the license.

Here's a scenario, VP behind edge demands increase in Microsofts browser usage, directors below set it as an objective to their product managers who want to get their bonus or promotion end of the quarter. They come up with ideas on how to achieve it. Some are quite stupid, probably way worse than any that see the light of day (like the ones described here). Then some just make it through and here we are.

Good lobbyists in the FTC.