I've been thinking a lot about the new Faithful and Discreet Slave understanding.
First of all, I regard the Faithful and Discreet Slave doctrine to be the core doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. Without a single charismatic leader like other cults, the Watchtower Society needed to have something to keep the rank and file in line. The FDS doctrine was mysterious and served to give the organisation a leadership structure that appeared to be directly connected to God. It went unquestioned by most Jehovah's Witnesses.
It was even used as the main test for apostasy. Many accused of apostasy were asked if they believed that the FDS was being used by God to lead the organization. Answering in the negative would almost guarantee disfellowshipping, while a convincing answer in the affirmative meant that any other source of "confusion" could possibly be handled without disfellowshipping.
It's odd that they would radically alter the doctrine that they were most concerned about their followers accepting.
I thought I would provide my own speculation on why they may have felt they needed to make this change.
The newly anointed were becoming a problem. The increasing numbers were an embarrassment. Also, an anointed apostate could potentially be far more damaging than a regular apostate.
There is also the factor that many newly anointed appear to be either mentally unstable, dishonest or overly ambitious. If it ever became routine to question the legitimacy of these newly anointed, it could lead to questioning the legitimacy of the entire FDS concept.
I'm sure the Governing Body felt it was necessary to open the doors again to the anointed class to have a larger pool of candidates to serve on the Governing Body. They just might not have anticipated all the problems and embarrassment that this would cause.
A bigger pool of potential candidates isn't very helpful if most of them are mentally unstable, dishonest or overly ambitious. I expect that some of those in power (perhaps non Governing Body members operating behind the scenes) realized that a cult cannot survive without competent leadership. The current GB are a bunch of clowns who have been making one embarrassing mistake after another. There is simply too much money involved in the organization for this trend to continue indefinitely.
The Governing Body might also be concerned about a coup led by rival anointed ones.
If my understanding of the new understanding is correct, the new FDS is tied to an organizational arrangement rather than individuals. Individuals only make up the FDS when they are participating in that organizational arrangement. This strips the anointed of any specialness while they are on earth. The organization becomes more clearly the idol that Jehovah's Witnesses worship.
This reduces the chances of a rival faction of anointed breaking away and confusing the followers. It also opens up the possibility of members of the great crowd serving on the Governing Body. Perhaps this is why they have been slow to appoint new GB members in recent years. They may soon have many more people to choose from.
It could also be the case that certain members of the GB would at least like to have the option of fleeing to a country that doesn't extradite to the United States. This would be easier if they can leave members of the great crowd in charge (perhaps people they can trust to keep their seats warm if they decide to return later).
Well, this is just my speculation for now. I welcome your thoughts.