That brought back memories for me, I worked there from 1978 - 1984. It was special and I agree with a lot of what the author said, but I would also highlight the people that ran the place. My boss was amazing, too long to list all the reasons but never forgot him. It takes a special type of person to manage highly skilled technical people effectively. I think there are some places like that today (maybe Google, I don't know first hand only from friends that work there). But in my view, that is the key, creating an environment that those types special people are able to thrive in. Bell Labs did that, maybe it was because they were a monopoly that they had that luxury, but I think there was more to it than that.