I would spend 4 hours writing 100 lines of code, then spend another 8 hours reducing it to 50 lines.

A LOC is a liability, not an asset. A LOC you didn't write is even more so. I don't think AI is even good at refactoring and optimising. My static analysis tools do a better job.

Golfing is life.

I feel this at my current gig. There are numerous dashboards that monitor PRs and LoC. And people that don’t juice numbers are given a stern warning.

I hate MBA dweebs and their need to measure ephemeral things.