> yet, people are continually surprised and disappointed when a company takes a profitable course of action

I think this is a fairly recent phenomenon, that's gone hand in hand with the development of the Internet.

First, we had companies without business plans (or profits) that peaked in the 90s. That bubble burst, but the reputation of "something for nothing" has lingered.

Companies have since found new ways to monetize users (e.g. targeted advertising) in a way that's mostly transparent to the users. This has perpetuated the sense of "something for nothing" associated with online products and services.