I think the companies would argue (not necessarily myself, for the record) that they do contribute to society via high-paying jobs, collecting payroll & sales taxes and income taxes. According to [1], Apple paid roughly $14.2b in 2012 income taxes, and according to [2], they paid $1 out of every $40 collected (using Apple numbers, although I'd imagine other companies are similar).

[1] http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/03/...

[2] http://www.imore.com/apple-already-pays-1-out-every-40-tax-d...