This is all true of AT&T but remember Bell Labs was a subsidiary of AT&T, and by all accounts from the ground, the Bell Labs management were able to promote a c

This is all true of AT&T but remember Bell Labs was a subsidiary of AT&T, and by all accounts from the ground, the Bell Labs management were able to promote a culture shielded from the politics of AT&T. (Compare with GoogleX, similar intentions, maybe better starting conditions) IP issues-- an interesting case study would be how the BL managers handled Shockley.