If I'm not mistaken, Spirit's main Uni source is a former Universal Creative member who now works for a sub-contractor. That person has a fairly negative opinion of Mark Woodbury and his management style. I have heard he is hard to work for, and "artists" are a sensitive lot, so I can see where animosity could come from. That said, Spirit always gets a rather dire story about what goes on over on Turkey Lake. Woodbury did get growing internal resistance against his "Universal Studios is the Film Technology park" idea. But the discord inside UC is greatly overstated. The few I know love working there and are proud of what they have created.
I believe what Spirit's source is seeing what we are seeing, which appears to be Uni slowing down after D23, when the opposite is what is happening. Changing and augmenting plans can look like sitting back from certain perspectives. Particularly to a sub contractor who was supposed to have been providing elements to a project that has been moved.