Chiefly, I think the problem is that the CTO solved the wrong problem: the right problem to solve includes a combination of assessing why company public opinion is generating mass movements of people wanting a new MacBook literally every year, if this is even worth responding to at all (it isn't), and keeping employees happy.
Most employees are reasonsble enough to not be bothered if they don't get a new MacBook every year.
Employers should already be addressing outdated equipment concerns.
Wasting developer time on a problem that is easily solvable in one minute isn't worthwhile. You upgrade the people 2-3 real generations behind. That should already have been in the pipeline, resources notwhistanding.
I just dislike this whole exercise because it feels like a perfect storm of technocratic performativity, short sighted "metric" based management, rash consumerism, etc.