If you proceed from the assumption that they had to adapt the Foundation novels into a serialized streaming show, then I guess I agree with you. Is there some new law that says you can't make up your own story anymore? You can even steal the things you like about Foundation, that's fine. It's not like all adaptations succeed, and all original IP fails, so I have no idea why they keep pretending that step 1 must be to buy the rights to something that already exists, even if it is structurally unfeasible to adapt.