Couldn't be bothered anymore

[Cailleach]

I thought the change in sound was done to try and please Friedman. I recall Mustaine saying back then that Marty was getting tired of metal and was more interested in pop music.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

The bit in Behind the Music I had in mind is about when Mustaine invited Bud Prager in to manage, and also ultimately co-write half the songs on Cryptic Writings and Risk (following the failure of which he was fired):
https://youtu.be/R3l4kZk2GXc?si=rE8YjzukYI0lZu3X&t=3873

In the liner notes to Cryptic Writings, Mustaine wrote:

I figured maybe [Prager] could help me get that intangible number one record I wanted so badly.

So, yeah, other things might have played in, but I don't think Mustaine would have hired Foreigner's ex-manager to please Friedman or anyone else, bar his own urge to be bigger than Metallica.

[The Great Cull]

The commercial ambitions only became a Marty thing when they failed! Everyone knows Dave only experienced failure when he let others help with the decisions!

[ldj]

Pretty sure it says in the liner notes for the Countdown reissue that after the Black Album came out he became obsessed with getting a number 1 record, it came close at number 2...beaten by Achey Breaky Heart    .

[Cailleach]

The bit in Behind the Music I had in mind is about when Mustaine invited Bud Prager in to manage, and also ultimately co-write half the songs on Cryptic Writings and Risk (following the failure of which he was fired):
https://youtu.be/R3l4kZk2GXc?si=rE8YjzukYI0lZu3X&t=3873

In the liner notes to Cryptic Writings, Mustaine wrote:

I figured maybe [Prager] could help me get that intangible number one record I wanted so badly.

So, yeah, other things might have played in, but I don't think Mustaine would have hired Foreigner's ex-manager to please Friedman or anyone else, bar his own urge to be bigger than Metallica.

Yeah that makes  sense.  He was using Marty as the scapegoat to pursue his own personal ambitions.