This question sounds much like you wish to be a judge and jury. This we will not do nor should you. Keep in mind that Pogue was not privy to the big picture understanding of things in order to see that an offer of financial reward dangled in front of him was sinister in wanting to thwart the progress of humanity and perhaps drag him into a more complicated scenario than he bargained for by resisting temptation.
In actuality, he was simply needing to survive and make a living, and was greatly flattered by the attention he received, and was very happy with the end result. It is always an uphill battle to have an idea embraced by a large-scale manufacturer. The odds of this happening and gaining much in the way of a reward financially is very uncertain because such companies are in the catbird seat, so to speak. They have the power and control of things the inventor does not and are not in a position to bargain forcefully, and are certainly manipulated and made to feel small and, therefore, grateful given any attention, so this is not a moral failing in any respect. This was simply making his best decision based on his best judgment at the moment not understanding the future and the long-term implications. He, in fact, was wise in accepting their offer as he could easily have been eliminated and his invention still sidelined in other ways, so he would have had an even larger loss than having his bright idea moldering on the shelf—it could well have been his corpse.
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