[generalizations]

Yeah, like that horrible capitalist company that funded the research lab which invented the transistor, Unix and C. We'd be so much better off without it out its 'capitalist, profit-driven creations'. (AT&T, Bell labs)

/s

[crumbshot]

Despite your unnecessary sarcasm, this is actually a good example, seeing as the company was eventually destroyed by the US government for abusing its monopoly position.

They did indeed fund a highly successful research centre, but - importantly to its success - one that wasn't run with the same ideals as its parent. It wasn't Bell Labs itself that endeavoured to monopolise an entire industry to the point where the government had to intervene.

[argvargc]

Yeah, because unlike everything else ever invented in history, if AT&T and Bell hadn't done it, no one else ever would have, and there's also zero chance another wouldn't have done it any better.

/s

[CamperBob2]

Bell Labs was the beneficiary of a government-enforced monopoly on telephone service, but never mind that.

[alert0]

The counter point to this is DARPA and the dearth of private research going on currently.