I understand that take, but, in the parlance of our time, you're hating the player and not the game.

It might very well be a "both" situation rather than an either/or. But focusing on/scapegoating this manager's behavior, to me, is the wrong takeaway.

If the manager is "giving in to unwritten pressure" -- particularly when it comes to making decisions that they, on some level, know intuitively to be wrong; and which more to the point, harm not only other people's careers and health, but the company's reputation and prospects for long-term success --

Then by definition, it is the directives of senior management that are at fault.