Agreed - pilots will not always be perfect, and if the safety chain -> design of systems, maintenance, training, experience is weaker than this will matter more.

Pilot error still #1 cause of fatalities including in the US. In this case bad maintenance also looks to be an issue and a brittle design. You have a master caution on 4 seconds into flight - you've got a terrible maintenance log book etc. I actually thought initial stab trim call wasn't unreasonably delayed - though they did let it run 4.6 to 2.1 over 10 seconds or so, which is a HUGE trim change.

And stab trim cutout wasn't followed fully or MCAS wouldn't have been able to put them into the ground at the end, though they may have already in a bad spot so thinking not unreasonable, except of course you might sit on nose up trim for a bit once reversing cutout.

The move will be I think to more automation and reducing ability to dispatch with things like a flight computer out of service (histrionically pilot skill would cover this now).

I also think they may need to move to authenticated maintenance / self test / parts life / history items. Ie, prevent dispatch on sloppy fixes / sloppy test.