Everyone talks about the monopoly – don't forget the pressure to Do Good Deeds and to look like You're Bringing New Tech to avoid the general public's grumbling

Everyone talks about the monopoly – don't forget the pressure to Do Good Deeds and to look like You're Bringing New Tech to avoid the general public's grumbling about, well, having to rent your phone from Ma Bell for $$$$$ and to live with their restrictions on what you could hook up to their lines. An expensive PR operation, but a good one for sure. I prefer cynical explanations for why the C-suite would like to keep Bell Labs around, and other posters have also mentioned managing perceived profits, and avoiding anti-trust.