I suspect a key difference is that the old Bell Labs wasn't beholden to excessive Professional Project Management running the show and making sure everyone has their nose to the grindstone at all times.
I think that's true, and was also true to a greater or lesser extent in many of the other hotbeds of 20th century research -- perhaps including those embedded in more conventional companies (IBM Research and Xerox PARC both come to mind).
Short of being wealth enough to self-fund, are there any truly low-managerialism research places left today?
I think that's true, and was also true to a greater or lesser extent in many of the other hotbeds of 20th century research -- perhaps including those embedded in more conventional companies (IBM Research and Xerox PARC both come to mind).
Short of being wealth enough to self-fund, are there any truly low-managerialism research places left today?