Torvalds' decision was extremely practical and has lead to huge gains for Linux users even if (ahem) not every company gives back.
In Fuchsia, they are even replacing Linux by their own micro-kernel, BSD licensed.
How much contributions has Sony given back to BSD from their PS4 BSD distribution?
FWIW: I, for sure, appreciate the GPL3 and copy-left licenses.
About companies using GPLv2 software in computers and devices and you being unable to change the software the computers run. In case you did not read the linked article, it is a very long story about someone trying to use Linux on a tablet that was shipped with Linux.