My memory is fairly poor, but I'm confident I'd heard complaints about management's move out of Seattle and the resulting disconnect with engineering causing problems for many years.
I've heard about issues coming out of Samsung for years too. I don't think these are things nobody knows about, but often they're not exactly common knowledge. Often it's hearsay and rumours from unconfirmed sources with the occasional article that goes under in all the noise or is otherwise brushed aside by the larger public. It's very hard to judge how accurate or relevant a certain news report is, or how biased or misinformed it might be, so it's easier to dismiss it.