> I can't help but wonder why nearly every programmer I know, myself included, finds value in these tools.

One of the more interesting findings of the study mentioned was that the LLM users, even where use of an LLM had apparently degraded their performance, tended to believe it had enhanced it. Anecdote is a _really_ bad argument against data that shows a _perception_ problem.

> Even if we weren't more "productive", millions prefer to use these tools, so it has to count for something.

I mean, on that basis, so does homeopathy.

Like, it's just one study. It's not the last word. But "my anecdotes disprove it" probably isn't a _terribly_ helpful approach.