I can’t for the life of me figure out what they think this is / what they do exactly.

> I don't think the leader of this function has to be an expert in one area or the other, but what they have to do is set direction, provide vision, do capital allocation, remove obstacles, set culture, and do employee engagement

Oh my…

I might be ultra pessimistic, but this just reads like non-technical people trying to justify their existence by working their way into a technical department.

Yup. It's a power grab.

Put the pretty, clueless people in charge of critical infra, automated business operations and software development.

What could go wrong?

Wow, that seems insane to me. But I guess at least those companies are finally being honest about the fact that HR isn't there for the benefit of employees.