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In an exploratory study of the early telephone industry, we search for evidence of competition and mutualism between legally autonomous companies. Neighboring companies are found to have both types of interdependencies, although their exact nature depends on organizational form. Companies in separate geographical locations are found to be competitive with each other, regardless of organizational form. The two prevalent organizational forms in the industry at this time each apparently flourished in distinct niches and were symbiotically related. The findings are interpreted within a community ecology framework.