The motivation was a perceived shortage of quality applicants. So they created a pipeline where you would interview before you actually were qualified,then got your ratings and experience, and started with SWA. At UA I've flown with guys with zero PIC before they got hired. I'm sure the same happened at DL+AA. It was a fluke based on covid, way too many early out offers, followed by panic hiring when things moved back to normal. I honestly don't think it will happen again in my lifetime.