That was Steven Spielberg’s fault.The only thing I can really hold against Goldner is him betting so much on the Bayverse, which made bank at first but ended up hurting the franchise in the long run. And I don't think he was even the CEO when Hasbro signed the initial deal with the devil that led to Bay getting to direct the first movie.
Michael Bay was recommended by film producer Steven Spielberg PERSONALLY. Spielberg even went out of his way to convince Bay to take on Transformers.