I switched because all my coworkers use VSC, just easier to have extensions like linters and goto definitions synced, we can help each other with any issues in the workflow.
Still use emacs + org mode for notes though, and spent quite a lot of time getting VSC to act like emacs in terms of shortcuts etc.
> The constant comparisons to VSCode frustrate me because they're often presented as "either-or"
I can say the same for Vim... My primary editor is Emacs, but I use vim if I want to edit something quickly in the terminal (config files, git commits, etc). If the codebase is bigger then I use the JetBrains IDEs...
I installed VSCode but I just don't like it. Until today I didn't find a use case for it being added to toolbelt. But I must admit that it almost won the editor wars, people just suppose that you use it.
No. I have used exclusively Vim for some time before going to Emacs, and I switched because the package management in Emacs was better and because the plugins were more polished. Then I wanted to do "the official way", using the default Emacs keybindings, even though I find the Vim keybindings better.
I switched in late 2015, things were different back then. If it was today I think I would probably jump to Doom Emacs or Neovim.
Still use emacs + org mode for notes though, and spent quite a lot of time getting VSC to act like emacs in terms of shortcuts etc.