I like this story.
In my experience, managers aren't usually malicious, they're just risk-averse. They've seen good pitches turn into failed projects. A working PoC counts for a whole lot more than just a plan.
This sucks, but it is the only option when you only improve one facet of something. If on the otherhand you could do the whole business then it is time for you to found.
If you find yourself considering doing anything of the sort, you should just quit. And you might say what's the difference - he ended up quitting anyway. Yeah, but he also did so by ruining his reputation with a bunch of people who you might say you don't care about their opinion, but they'll talk to other people whose opinion you DO Care about, and they won't tell a charitable version of this incident. They'll just say that you weren't a team player, that you don't know how to collaborate with others, and to not hire you.
What he should have done is spent a week writing a document to senior leadership preparing an executive overview explaining the process he would follow, tools to use, and a detailed breakdown of the estimate of building this system (by someone else mind you) - in a timeframe that he understood the leadership would accept as reasonable - but longer than 1 hour.
Then he should have presented the document to them.
Except this rarely works.
For starters, senior leadership also plays games only on higher level.
Second, they don't like wild cards they can't control. And even more, they don't like people who skip chain of command because they want to control the information that passes up from their organization.
And this particular company is extra political.
In my team, there were only people who worked there for more than 10 years or less than a year.
There is special type of person that feels well working there -- one that is fine doing nothing and playing cutthroat politics game. Everybody else quits right away.
It was my mistake for not learning this before I joined. I have now a protocol to look for that kind of thing.
Anyone who does this is not a dumbshit, those who get in their way probably are.
OP: would love to make your acquaintance, email is checked in profile.
Sure, the ppl you embarrass might talk. But they won't say much, and likely won't have a lot of credibility.
At least this shows a grounding in reality, has the only chance of success (a white paper /proposal was already shown to go nowhere), and supports the (likely few) other people who care about reality & getting things done - ir at least shows them the consequences so they can adjust their own path.
If you are good, in this economy, you'll be in demand. So don't play the coward's game - be bold, speak (& show) truth to power.