How to manage an army of not-really-devs trying to write code?

I normally don’t go in for the “decisions like this mean management is secretly trying to ______” theories, but this seems so asinine on its face that I suspect there’s a second level to this game, maybe forcing out some roles by making them into underperforming employees, maybe giving them a chance to evolve in the needed direction and forcing out the ones who don’t want to/can’t...

It doesn’t seem like a company could literally believe this new way was suddenly optimal without at least testing some part of it.