Huh? Wouldn’t their prestige be improved if some other group spent a lot of effort improving on it?
That would clearly demonstrate it had real substance beyond hot air or puffery.
You could be proven wrong and wither in to obscurity.
Better to silo yourself and move in to the penthouse.
I would presume that if their results end up being more impactful or interesting, you end up being a footnote and lose the spotlight.