I think we should first define what “coding” is and whether “code” means “any code” or “optimal code”, because otherwise we’ll just keep talking past each other.

But I enthusiastically agree with your point about engaging with your output and having that deep understanding of all the intricacies and, well, you already said it better.

I also can’t shake the feeling that many hardcore LLM proponents are actually, genuinely worse at this than I am, and that’s simply it. In my vicinity, the loudest and most extreme LLM jockeys are all people who I personally don’t think are great engineers, or even that smart. They might be right in the end and I might be wrong, but these people definitely won’t become my role models anytime soon.