Why does QuickBooks make changes to our invoice, screen etc. setup without us knowing or approving? Can I stop this from happening?

QuickBooks Online (QBO) has rolled out updates, including a new invoice layout that can improve the user experience and add new features based on customer feedback and evolving business needs, @dburfeind. I'll share details about this.

At this time, the option to prevent the update from happening is currently unavailable. QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based software that is reliant on system upgrades to ensure users have access to the latest features and performance improvements. Our product engineers improve the invoice interface to meet the needs of our customers and make it more user-friendly. 

Furthermore, you can get familiarized with the latest estimates and invoices experience through this article: See what is new with estimates and invoices in QuickBooks Online.

Additionally, I've added an article that can give you a great at-a-glance view of the status of all your sales entries (estimates, sales receipts, open or paid invoices, etc.). It'll help you ensure your tracking is accurate: View sales transactions in QuickBooks Online.

You can get back to me if you have follow-up questions about your invoice layout or navigating the updated interface. I'm always around to help, @dburfeind. Take care.

@dburfeind as you can see from the standard answer you got from @DebSheenD , the changes Quickbooks has been making to your interface without your approval are to better suit their customers' needs. So if you find these changes to be worse, like most of their former customers have, then that obviously means you're not suited to be a Quickbooks customer since according to their "research," their customers should LOVE the new interface.

My employers and colleagues have found better, cheaper options with Freshbooks, Zoho, and Wave. There are other accounting software options out there as well that will likely suit your needs for less money.