It's ironic that the example you should use is 10 speed, as Shimano was not responsible for it. Campagnolo introduced 10 speed in 2000. Shimano felt the disadvantage outweighed the advantages and did not follow Campagnolo's lead until 2004, due to market pressure.

In fact, when you look back at the growth in the number of cogs and the incompatibility it caused, it was all started by SunTour and their 1977 6 speed Ultra freewheel which required a special, narrower chain. Then SunTour increased the ante with Ultra 7 in 1979. Shimano introduced 8 cogs in 1989 and 9 speed was introduced simultaneously by Campagnolo and Shimano in 1997. Overall, Shimano was a minor player, relative to Campagnolo and SunTour when it came to cog growth.

Shimano is far from a monopoly, but the position they hold is because they are giving the general public what they want or need. That's how you succeed in business.

BTW, any racer who flats and loses the pack should not be cursing the support van or number of cogs, but himself. He's the one who sacrificed durability for lightweight, fragile tires. If you don't want to blame the yourself, then blame the tire manufacturers, but don't fault the manufacturer of the shifting system. It worked perfectly and didn't cause the flat.