Apart from the problem of claiming Arduino endorsement, they do add value: they "make a buck" by organizing the production & sales of a product at a more compe

Apart from the problem of claiming Arduino endorsement, they do add value: they "make a buck" by organizing the production & sales of a product at a more competitive price. It puts an educational board in the hands of people that might not otherwise afford it: On small school budgets a STEM program might not be able to afford $20 for 500 students each year, while $5 is easier to manage. Or it might mean the program can afford both a cheap Arduino clone and cheap Pi Zeros to learn development at multiple levels and different languages.