> I've worked as a software engineer writing embedded code, at several hardware companies, and nearly all of them see software as just another line item on the

> I've worked as a software engineer writing embedded code, at several hardware companies, and nearly all of them see software as just another line item on the BOM, like a bolt or a screw, to make as cheap and quickly as they can. "We need to source 32 screws, 50 resistors, 45 capacitors, a waterproofing gasket, oh, and this 'software' thing. Make some 'software,' and ensure we fasten it to the product at station 25 on the assembly line." That's almost certainly how Vizio thinks of its software. Yeah to my knowledge that's exactly right, that is how they think about software. In Japan especially, outside of some places like Nintendo, that is how they think.