I actually see this as a smart move in the context of a Fortune 100 company. It's often a good idea to build something (in this case, a data science capability

I actually see this as a smart move in the context of a Fortune 100 company. It's often a good idea to build something (in this case, a data science capability) before you need it, so that when you do need it, it's already up and running. Also: there's value in giving any new technology a test drive.