Correct me if I’m wrong but as I understand it MCAS is there to correct the aircraft from titling and therefore possibly stalling due to the engines. The engines are much bigger and placed further forward than previous design (smaller engines) and at full thrust the nose can drop so the MCAS steps in to prevent this through the stabilisers also(?).

Separately, as with most large corporate the constant obsession with saving costs, driving profit and shareholder value with sometimes the disregard of customer experience, as we’ve seen with BA in recent years, doesn’t always bode well in the end.