These were soon followed by about 300 car companies. In the following years, those 300 became five, and only five. Monopolies were formed in those years. Dirty business practices, and dirtier employee policies were rampant. The same was true a century before the Automobile, with the railroads, and a century before that in Europe with the textile mills.
Nothing ever changes.
They will still find ways around any reguations or sanctions to do their rotten best to deep six everyone who is a competitor, or potential competitor. You nailed it when you pointed out the paranoia at the heart of the company.