Certainly, the little oil companies have little to say about what goes on with oil specifications. I don't dispute that. But, as to CK-4 being devised to make things cheaper for the oil companies? I hardly think so. Combine this with new ACEA standards and likely updated builder approvals. Cheaper isn't going to happen. Further, saving production costs by cutting a bit of ZDDP isn't going to save a lot of money.
Nonetheless, the HDEO API regime is far more advanced than the API gasoline regime, at least with respect to robust specifications. The ACEA stuff is built upon the API HDEO specification, rather than the other way around.
Okay, Ford claims a problem. Yet, you grab a 15w-40 or 5w-40 from one of the majors, and it's going to be CK-4 or CK-4/SN, along with ACEA E7, E9. There will also be a boatload of builder approvals.
So, we have a situation where Ford claims a problem and no one else does, which is a very good reason why the API would ignore what Ford has to say. And, if Ford knew about this over a year ago, Ford should have released their own specification earlier and mandated it, rather than having ridiculous, confusing manual wording compounded by a confusing memo. But, I suppose that having their [at the time] current specification on Mobil's E6 lubricant would leave them with egg on their faces when complaining that low phosphorus is the problem. In fact, the only Delvac 1 synthetic product that did have their certification was the explicitly low phosphorus product, Delvac 1 LE 5w-30.
This is why it's hard to take Ford seriously over this. They certify a product whose viscosity isn't listed in any of their literature, be they manuals or TSBs. The only Mobil synthetic they certify is an E6 low phosphorus product, all the while claiming the ills of low phosphorus HDEOs. Ford hasn't been able to string together two consecutive sentences in their manuals or TSBs that don't conflict with something else they've said or done at the same time.
Ford ain't the bad guy at all. They're just pushing a snowblower through a pile of manure and seeing what sticks.