There’s an apocryphal anecdote, that Tesla actually assigned all his patents to George Westinghouse.
Then J.P. Morgan notified Westinghouse that, if he didn’t agree to sell out his interests, Morgan would crush him with lawyers—a tactic that is well-established in the early history of Rockefeller railcar oil transportation—if you sell out, you will get rich, if you resist, you will be crushed and get nothing, sign here and we’ll take the gun out of your mouth.
Westinghouse relented to Morgan, and GE was born, according to the lore.
Oh. So, that’s how it happened.
Rockerfeller lived as what he was, an extremely wealthy man with his only motive being to get richer. Human moralizers, need not apply. There are several billionaires like that today. Imagine, being wealthy enough to bully Westinghouse corporation with threats of Lawfare and endless legal expenses.