Engineering
Engineering is a constant battle of tradeoffs, both economic and technological. Applying nothing but "sound engineering principles" to the design of a drip coffee maker would give you one that cost $300. No doubt there's a niche market for such a thing, but people who actually DO have a concern for the "working man" might wish for something a bit cheaper.
As far as the "suits" wanting to save money, I should hope so. I again invite you to look at the automotive industry profit margin.
Or, we can just go with the assumption that all these people are evil.