> The purpose of MCAS is to give the MAX the same aircraft handling characteristics so that it retains the original 737's type rating.

The article mentions that prominently in a few paragraphs, this is the first one:

“That's because the major selling point of the 737 Max is that it is just a 737, and any pilot who has flown other 737s can fly a 737 Max without expensive training, without recertification, without another type of rating.”