I think you're getting mixed up on when the release date was or what people mean by maxed out. The best graphics cards at the time were the Geforce 8800s and these definitely could not max the game out. You could go as far as high settings, but you'd still have areas of extreme slowdown and high was definitely not Max.

Erm why would no one want to see an inbox filled with offers from companies they don't want to work for? I may not want to work for them, but lots of offers means being in demand. It means never worrying about being laid off and being able to push for raises. That's a win for an employee.