At first I thought that was the case too. Then I got to thinking of some of the things I've heard of them concerning hiring people. They've had to not only build an entire creative team from scratch, but legitimize every single thing they do. A group of really smart people who know exactly what they want will figure out how to legitimize requests for things they don't need in a way no one else will notice. The rest have a tendency to come up with reasons and wholeheartedly believe in them (for better or worse). I think that attitude from the video in general is people trying to justify themselves for the sake of their jobs. Usually these places go bankrupt, but I have a feeling that wont happen for a while simply because of the name brand.
Ultimately, this whole Halo 4 thing to me comes down to whether they can cater to what I want. I'll rent the game for campaign. I'll buy it for access to a HEK level of longevity. If they try to tie this whole thing into GFWL and Win8 again, I'll laugh while watching their world burn.
Glad I never sent them a portfolio.