I don’t dispute what you say at all. Although I have Fender and Gibson my other brands play just as well. I am curious as to how Fender and Gibson run their companies from your quote. I hate to think what the cost of them to make a guitar is. Probably a frighteningly low price.
Primarily, they have foreign investors, so they are not, by the strictest standards, American owned/operated companies anymore. However, I do believe Fender has recently (January 2020) become acquired by a new set of American investors, but foreign money still helps bankroll their operations. Same with Gibson.
Another thing is that a large number of Fender and Gibson guitars (the low end models) come straight from China without any American hands touching them before they hit the sales floor. It's why you hear a lot of bad things in regards to their action, electronics, and overall assembly quality. There's just no real quality control on the bulk of their products, and good luck getting any real support from the company.
Peavey and Alvarez are still privately owned American companies, and they handle their operations entirely different when it comes to quality and support. Keep in mind I am primarily going based on things I have heard second hand from my teacher/local Peavey dealer, but the quality of everything I have personally bought has been rock solid. And Alvarez, well, I can't believe the quality of the instrument I got for the price I paid. It's almost a steal, and I already know that if I ever get good enough to warrant an "expensive" acoustic is is going to be a Yairi. No question about it.
This is just a personal preference, but I believe the Japanese are the most skilled musicians and instrument manufacturers in the world. The Yamaha bass guitar I have is all stock parts from the early 80s, and it is a tank. A certified war tested tank. Made in Japan is always going to be my preference when it comes to music.