Having a bunch of people who might at some point generate a few valuable ideas doesn't sound like a bad strategy. Intel is (was?) huge, their market penetration is enormous. I think Bell Labs did something similar back in the way -- maybe not with the liberal arts, but they certainly left a lot of room for serendipity.
What possible ideas could someone with no expertise in advanced math/physics/chemistry/or other relevant hard science have for the products and services Intel sells?
Why not throw a janitor, cook, and bus driver in the mix too then?
Almost every field require baseline knowledge of certain facts to make one's ideas useful. And we're talking about the most technologically advanced process in the world using cutting edge physics and materials science. The baseline here is basically as high as you can get.
