Wanting to distribute something externally does not mean that you want to release it publicly. Lots of "internal" tools are distributed to teams at partner comp

Wanting to distribute something externally does not mean that you want to release it publicly. Lots of "internal" tools are distributed to teams at partner companies and contractors, for example. And more generally, the internal tool of today can become the hit add-on to your existing product of tomorrow, or a new product line. You want to retain flexibility. Legal departments aren't just being paranoid when they insist on avoiding GPL-licensed code if at all possible.