Let's not let the facts get in the way here. It took <2 minutes to look through the on-time percentages for this route on AS. Of 13 daily nonstops, only 689 at 09:40 has an abysmal ontime rate of 54%. The other 12 are between 80% and 100% ontime with 8 of those 12 at over 90%.
So, the answer to OP's question is that he has a false premise. The short connections are offered because most passengers make them most of the time. I am not suggesting that he has not had a run of bad luck, but that is all it is and he clearly did not do the simple research before complaining and that is likely why he got a cut & paste answer. From a customer service perspective it is better than saying, "you are wrong".
That said, it is OP who chooses to book 40-minute connections. AS offers them because people want them. If OP does not, that is what consumer choice is all about. Easy solution: don't book 40-minute connections.