The labs and supercomputer manufacturers also need this narrative to get continued funding from Congress. I spent many years in DOE supercomputing labs, and there was a heavy emphasis on competition whenever you wanted to knock loose a few hundred million dollars to buy a new computer.

>>This is one of the reasons why they're losing so much trust.

Sorry, but this is the actual bullshit narrative. Most media outlets, especially ones that Trump loves to rail against, are reporting record profits. That, to me, shows that people trust them more than ever.