I am not to worried about the 2500tt being to little. I actually think that measuring hours is the least effective way of determining if someone is ready to be a captain. But in a world where its not a matter of skill or recommendations, but a world of seniority, you have to have something to hold people to.
In all seriousness is someone going to say to me with a straight face that if i had flown a cessna 172 for 3000 hours, and then got hired at pinnacle and upgraded that i was more "prepared to be a captain", than flying 1500 hours as an instructor getting hired at pinnacle and then flying 1000hrs so i could upgrade at 2500? please... all this talk about the dangers of lowering mins is rubbish. I think the danger is allowing people to be captains that have 50tt in the plane. I know that is standard practice everywhere but if we are going to complain about times, then that is where we need to look.
I would be more worried about the guy moving from the saab or the bro, to the jet and having less time in the plane than a new hire fo.