If those conditions abruptly change, however, the critters might not fit the new environment. That's probably what contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs. In a roughly equivalent way, some engineering companies and their engineering teams struggle to adapt. The plot thickens when you consider that many a hire is based on whether a recruit might fit into, say, an Intel 80x86 or Motorola 68K culture, or a TMS320Cx culture, or a VHDL or Verilog culture. That would be a better way to spend company funds than purchasing an espresso machine for the coffee room, or a basketball hoop out in the parking lot.
Sabbatical packages ought to include tuition reimbursement too.
Oh, you might argue that once an engineer got educated this way, he or she could pack up and move to another company, taking the intellectual property that's between their ears with them. That could happen but I think employers will see a net sum benefit over time, with payback from loyal employees. I'll have to ask my friend about how his new company is treating him. Maybe I'll catch up with Pablo before he considers that job offer from the competing company on the other side of the industrial park.