I think they also suspect/know that Gates won't revisit the issue. The email is a flame as the subject line admits. Gates wasn't going to go back every week for the next six months to track progress.

> This is how learned helplessness looks like when you’re a high level executive.

Must be nice being so useless, yet getting paid so much.

Though I guess these people must have been good at politicking to rise so high.

I mean, you're 100% right, but what's the alternative? They wanna keep the salary. The machine rewards political people, not people who pick fights to improve the product. It's a perfect pair. :/