Ultimately, pilot’s fault. Easy to get complacent.
United is certainly hurting for pilots. An AF friend, who was a navigator turned pilot (for around 2 years in the AF), got hired by United in a direct to Captain slot. He has a lot of nav time but not that much as an Aircraft Commander (I’m sure he met the mins for that reduced ATP thing). Sound head on his shoulders but it shows how desperate they are.
I had never heard of “direct to captain” for an airline pilot before. That is scary.