Too bad it's at the expense of product leadership.
mmmm, maybe, but they are still putting themselves 'out there', if you will.
In my game (workwise), if I get pally with a big building contractor, that's good for business.
I'd imagine it'll be the same with a programming language dedicated to creating games, if they get pally with a graphics card maker, that'll be good for business too, product leadership or not!
Dabz