If you can afford the loan, then you can afford to go cash. Start with a jalopy, preferably something cheap and reliable, save monthly payment amounts, snowball cash plus said jalopy into better vehicle, repeat. And maintain it.

I don't really see how this is a conspiracy.

This sort of thing is the natural consequence of corporate environments where execs get massive personal gain while not having any personal responsibility.

In this case the big bonuses for additional 'phantom' accounts and statistical growth mostly went to the higher-ups, while the people fired were mostly the poor sods on the ground who were forced into doing this. And all the blame was placed on "company culture".

So, again, this is completely expected. You take any group of people and tell them "you can do whatever you want for personal gain, zero consequence, and all the blame will be placed on an immaterial concept" and you'd better damn expect some very questionable ethical choices.