Comment by foldr

The official report doesn't identify the lack of sidestick linkage as a factor in the accident. Neither of the two pilots who were at the controls had any idea what was happening. Both pulled back on their sticks repeatedly right up to the moment of impact. The captain, who eventually realized (too late) that the plane was stalled, was standing behind them, and so would not have benefited from linked sticks.

There's a detailed breakdown here: https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/the-long-way-down-the-cr...