Sounds like a common communication disconnect that I've seen time and time again.

Engineering says the juice isn't worth the squeeze. The message management hears is, "It's impossible." They respond - often correctly, if we're being fair - "But of course it's possible." Engineering instead hears them insisting it's feasible.

I bet that cycle gets cranked up to high gear in an environment like the current US administration where two-way communication is impossible because telling your boss something other than what they want to hear is tantamount to handing them a resignation letter.