[landemva]

'ensuring that regulators and airlines perceived the MAX as so minimally changed from the previous 737 model that pilots would find little difference.'

What is consistently not discussed is that moving the engine mounts forward, to fit the larger fans, seemingly should have called for a new type certification. That would be epic expensive, so FAA and Boeing and airlines went along with the software tricks to make it appear to pilots to fly like other 737s. That works OK in most flight conditions, though can be occasionally catastrophic.