"The team had reached a point where it was too risky to make any code refactoring or engineering improvements. I submitted several bug fixes and refactoring, notably using smart pointers, but they were rejected for fear of breaking something."
Once you reach this stage, the only escape is to first cover everything with tests and then meticulously fix bugs, without shipping any new features. This can take a long time, and cannot happen without the full support from the management who do not fully understand the problem nor are incentivized to understand it.
"The team had reached a point where it was too risky to make any code refactoring or engineering improvements. I submitted several bug fixes and refactoring, notably using smart pointers, but they were rejected for fear of breaking something."
Once you reach this stage, the only escape is to first cover everything with tests and then meticulously fix bugs, without shipping any new features. This can take a long time, and cannot happen without the full support from the management who do not fully understand the problem nor are incentivized to understand it.