In fifteen years on the 737 I cannot remember using the stab trim cutout switches apart from in the sim and even then only very occasionally. If the pilot flying was confronted with a similar scenario to the Lion accident then the combination of startle, unfamiliarity with the aircraft and a very new co-pilot could plausibly lead to this kind of end result.
The statements from Ethiopian about ‚senior captains‘ with a couple of months experience on the airplane and first officers with 200 hours are not terribly reassuring. There is no ‚single size fits all‘ solution to minimum experience levels for pairing new pilots. But it would be surprising if this did not play a role.
Finally Boeing‘s experience with electronic systems and stabilizers has not been uniformly happy. The MD11 which they inherited from Douglas had well reported issues in this area. This looks to be quite unrelated. But if I was a Boeing lawyer, aside from leafing through new sailboat catalogues in anticipation of massive billable hours, I would be looking into who was responsible for the MCAS development and implementation.