Solo mediocrity is rampant, of course. We know that toasting the bread before making the sandwich makes it more delicious, but in service of convenience and speed, we skip a step.
It becomes a conspiracy when more than one of us is involved.
The freelancer who offers cheap and ordinary work finds customers who willingly engage with them.
The small company that gets worn down by the constant pressure to simply do a bit less and care a bit less, and decides to follow the mass market where it seems to want to go.
The thing about these conspiracies, though, is that many people have to go along for them to work.
In a big car company, it might take the agreement of 30 or 50 people before the new line gets to be a bit less magical. If just one or two folks stood up and said, “not on my watch,” the conspiracy wouldn’t work.
Like most conspiracies, this one isn’t a secret, nor is it well organized. It’s simply the result of short-term market pressures pushing individuals who used to care a lot to care a bit less.