More critical is that turning off the autopilot turned ON MCAS. The very existence of MCAS was hidden from the pilots. So when they would have a problem, they would disengage the autopilot and it would get worse. There was nothing in the emergency manual that helped them know what they were fighting.
It’s inexcusable to completely hide such a critical system from the pilots.
“The very existence of MCAS was hidden from the pilots.”
Where did you get that lie? MCAS is and was part of the training curriculum for the Max.