[paulmd]

The problem here isn't that a 737 MAX style design is inherently unstable. The issue is that the larger engines really needed longer landing gear and other significant airframe changes, but due to demands from Southwest that it remain within type-certification for the 737 (to avoid the costs of pilot retraining) some unfortunate compromises were made that affected the aircraft's behavior.

You can design an aircraft just like this that won't have those characteristics. You'll just need to pay to get it certified and then airlines will have to pay to train their pilots. Instead, Southwest wanted the band-aid fix, and Boeing obliged them.