I suspect it was done for money, which is main cause of minimalism these days (past 50 years or so). Flat elements and colorless icons are much cheaper to design than the alternative.
I personally find minimalism quite ugly. But it doesn't matter, because objectively, it's less expensive. It is also "predictably ugly". Less chance to make it really really ugly => better from the business perspective.
I personally find minimalism quite ugly. But it doesn't matter, because objectively, it's less expensive. It is also "predictably ugly". Less chance to make it really really ugly => better from the business perspective.