Apparently the MCAS system was installed because the Max designed required the engines to be moved forward on the wing which in turn caused potential stalls from pointing the nose up to much when lifting off. (or something like that)
Boeing installed the MCAS but didn’t make any reference to it in the pilot manuals or training. Some kind of cost saving thing.
Boeing redesigned the 737 instead of designing a new airplane from the ground up. They moved the larger-nacelle engines forward and up in front of the wings which shifted the center of gravity in relation to the center of lift. Such instability was only correctable with computer controls.
While an inherently unstable aircraft may be acceptable for an F-117 or a B-2, for a regular civilian airline it's a questionable risk.