T-Mobile retroactively removes status updates related to software updates

OEMs do the updates.  Not carriers.  Have you noticed Google stopped blaming carriers.  This happened almost a decade ago.  Google/Sony did an AOSP project and found carriers don't touch code. Carriers "bloatware" is done just like ANY other app you find in the play store.  They also found out the longest delay was themselves inadvertently.  Android 4.0 and beyond became more modular to allow co-development due to government, licensing, and  other consortiums.  Since 4.0 Google started releasing kernel sources for testing while they build android.  They started to go more and more module with Project Treble.  All carriers do is test the finished project and if they find security flaws against their network they send it back.  Rinse and Repeat.

FYI - HTC, Sony, Samsung, and LG have admitted to this by releasing their development schedules back then.  Rest of the world started to blame OEMs, and only here in the US we still blame carriers.  Funny enough Asia markets have way more "bloatware", and by that logic they should always be last to get updates, but surprising they tend to be first in a lot of cases.