Ozymandyus said:'Evil profits' are not responsible for technological progress. Science is largely responsible for technological progress - and many many scientists do not become wealthy for the extremely important work they do.
Progress happens despite the fact that people skim profits from the top to pad their pockets, not because of.
When looking at history, this is not true. Civilizations like Greece, Rome, and China did a lot of science, yet the technological progress that they made in all of their history is minimal compared to the last 200 years.
Science is the foundation, profits are the drive.