If this whole unmovable trim wheel kerfuffle plays out to its full potential, Boeing is staring down the barrel of BOTH MAX and NG being grounded. And that might very well be the end not only for the 737, but for the Boeing Company. I'm not even sure their military division will be able to bail them out, unless they quickly disconnect the two parts but that would require a shareholders meeting which won't be quick. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
So, just hypothetically, wouldn't it be safer for Boeing to simply close the 737MAX program, cut their losses, buy back the MAXes and try to cuddle the FAA into stopping the NG trim wheel inquiries? They could then concentrate on NSA, or NMA, or MOM, or whatever it is they want to do. They would likely come out of this way behind Airbus in sales and customer trust, and will have to fight back into that market, AND they have very little experience in that kind of marketing. It will be a HUGE loss and an enormous effort. But, IMHO, it's the lesser evil. The more this drags on, the less likely Boeing is to come out of this alive. As much as I like Airbus, I don't want them to be an unopposed monopolist.