Wasn't FFXI SE's most profitable game ever? Why would this be considered stupid? There are a lot of people, and I mean a lot, who would consider FFXI to be the best gaming experience of their entire lives.
There are hints of brilliance in FFXIV, swallowed in a bunch of complete shit. Yoshida, However, genuinely cares about everyone who plays his game. He works tirelessly. I don't think I've seen a game developer work this hard ever.
FFXIV has been an extremely humbling endeavor for SE. I would of never imagined a company outright admitting its mistakes, setting reasonable, obtainable goals, constantly keeping the community updated, taking user feedback on a daily basis, and pushing their game towards a goal that they can actually meet.
FFXIV might just be the best thing they've ever done. A Realm Reborn is set to be seriously awesome, and I would not be surprised to see them duplicate XI's success, which is probably all they are trying to do.