I mean... I'm not even extraordinarily cynical about this stuff, but to me this seems like a totally normal level of corporate gamesmanship?
Companies look for and seek to maintain competitive moats. This is not particularly clever, it's a core part of corporate strategy.
of course, but the safety angle was pushed from day one. I more mean the forethought of how it would play out
It's also highly unethical (for some values of ethics)