Well at least they did not give them the usual entertainment for bored designers: redesigning stuff that does not need a redesign.
I bet it's great for recruiting though. Kind of like google letting researchers waste half their time writing papers and going to conferences.
It got cheaper since the same electronic font can be used for (almost) all sizes, design purposes, etc. though, so it's also happening more often now.
This is why people make fun of silicon valley. Your new font isn't changing the world and it's not adding value to anything. Certainly not adding value equal to its cost.
The cheapest fonts are the ones installed on a users system. Web sites and apps do not need to include fonts at all. In fact it's easy to argue that the users should be selecting the fonts on their devices in most cases.
Every company web site & app needs to include their own font. Otherwise, you become a commodity, and you can be replaced by your competitors.
Business is about being different from competitors, not the same. And people buy things that look good.
Companies that have crappy branding lose money, because they lose customers to other companies.