I was not aware of that last one, thanks for sharing. The clarity of your post is outstanding, BTW.
my attempt:
A) Boeing at that time did not know that
B) Boeing Commercial at that time had forgotten they were an aircraft manufacturer.
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Being one, amongst many other consequences, carries the responsibility of not letting the A) above happen. That was violated.
[While it's a sin to lose marbles, inventory on how many went missing shall be maintained at all times]
Many may argue the top floor responsible for avoiding A) was hired and incentivized to feed the shareholders with cash but without the objective of building exquisite vehicles as an irrevocable and the only priority. While that is understood, in my book it's a zilch excuse for failing to govern.