I think the idea is that different categories of science might occur at different scales of funding.

50 junior faculty will likely do 50 safe-ish projects which will lead to tenure. 1 senior faculty with 25 million dollars might do something qualitatively different: ambitious, risky, long-term. Or might not, no guarantee. But I think it's a valid exploration of parameter space.

The goal is to make great science happen, not fund the maximum number of scientists.