for what little work they did, they created a much more polished experience compared to lineageOS. i have been using both, and the difference is noticeable.

that and effectively auditing the android for google dependencies and privacy violations, i think are already a quite substantial contribution.

it is also worth considering how many resources it took to achieve that, so i think it's unfair to say they didn't do much as if anyone with a few weekends to spare could have achieved the same.