Boeing Begins Compensation Agreements With Affected 737MAX Customers

In the IT "Industry" its called Vaporware.First Marketing and Sales sell a non-existing product then Engineering is forced to come up with a way to make the product at a cost below the agreed price it was already sold for. Marketing and Sales are paid huge commissions and if the product fails Engineering are blamed and suffer consequences.

Here is a fictional example. Lets assume you make a new aircraft which we'll call a V-22 Osprey. (Completely fictional, in no way related to any real V-22 Osprey). In order to meet weight specifications agreed by Marketing and contracted by Sales, Engineering makes the emergency prop drive shaft out of plastic. There is an engine fire. Plastic melts in fire. Asymmetric lift results in a crash. Obviously Engineering are at fault as they should have known that engine fires do occur. Marketing and Sales walk away scott-free.

Sometimes selling something you don't own works out. Bill Gates (with Paul Allen) first "sold" (via non-exclusive license) DOS to IBM for their PC then he went out and bought it from its actual owner for $50,000. Gates didn't tell the people he bought it from that he had already "sold" it to IBM. DOS became the "Industry Standard". Since Gates had only licensed it to IBM he could then license it to everyone else. Gates became rich through "selling" something he didn't actually own at the time he "sold" it.

Might have been cheaper in the long run to just add the second AOA & Disagreement light into the equation, initiate a New Type Rating, do an FAA approved course, flight check and send everyone on their way?