You are missing the point. Asustek was NOT a computer manufacturer when they began sub-contracting for Dell. They moved up the value chain by taking larger and larger sub-contracts with Dell and then they came out in Asia and one fine day... they were in Best Buy.
This in an absolutely true story. Google it with the source “Forbes” and it reviews the book that was written about it. They interviewed the founder of Asustek. He literally said that Dell taught him every single detail on how to make a PC
No, you’re missing the point - people learn from their customers AND suppliers AND employers AND competitors all the time. Asus came out from Acer, when 4 of the senior engineers at Acer left and created Asus. And they learned from Acer what they needed to get business from Dell.
Then they learned from Dell and others about how to sell finished computers. And have done so since 2003 when they introduced their own branded product on the market.
Is this a bad thing? No - Dell is still in existence, we have another brand to choose from (more competition), and the market survives. What’s the down side?
No, you’re wrong there. I’ve used Asus components in various builds and they definitely have one thing there’s no way they got from Dell.
Quality.