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At least on the consumer end, I'd say Dell's "core activity" is hardware, not software. This is more like Intel selling software that can screw up your computer: https://www.mcafee.com/

Hardware and the drivers associated.

> But it would be a screw up in Dell's core activity. It's like Intel screwing up the design of the Xeon. It's like Intel screwing up the design of the Xeon.

I'm not really sure I'd say that this is comparable to Intel screwing up the design of the Xeon.

But either way, there's a big difference between "we made a serious technical error, and nobody at the company caught this" and "we intentionally compromised our entire product because advertisers were willing to pay us, and nobody at the company stopped this".

Many hardware companies regard software as an afterthought, not a core activity; it's often outsourced.