“…were forced to share information with each other….hardly an environment that fosters healthy competition.”

I do not believe it was intended to be true competition. I believe that the two teams were on a shared journey, each trying things independently and then sharing notes. That should avoid confirmation bias: people come up with their own approaches, without influencing each other, and try it, and then come together to share how it went.

The teams were mission-focused — not in competition. That was the intention I believe; of course, one cannot know what really transpired without being there!