The Raspberry Pi was basically only possible because of the Broadcom SoC. It is a capable chip, with approximately the right set of functionality for an SBC and

The Raspberry Pi was basically only possible because of the Broadcom SoC. It is a capable chip, with approximately the right set of functionality for an SBC and at a good price (because it was already manufactured in volume). It was only available for something like the Raspberry Pi because Eben Upton worked for Broadcom and so could get to buy the chips and buy them at volume pricing - normally you'd have to have an established buyer relationship and be able to guarantee to buy far more than the Pi team was able to or expecting. It's also worth remembering that originally the Pi wasn't maker/OSS focused - the goal was to have a computer cheap enough to be used for computing education in schools. In effect a modern day successor to the BBC Micro. In the context of the goals and constraints the "minor" binary blob required to make it run was irrelevant. Even more so as basically every other similar SoC has exactly the same issue. The Broadcom parts presumably continue to remain competitive for their capability level and so they keep getting used but now thanks to the success of the Pi there is the will and capability of going full OSS.