Apple has been making their devices much harder to open as time has passed. My 2011 MacBook didn't have any kind of a lever mechanism but after taking out about ten Philips 00 screws, the lid lifts clean open.

And now my 2019 work MacBook requires taking out non-standard pentalobe screws, then using a suction cup to pry the lid open slightly in order to cram a wedge tool in-between to pop it open and then you need to slide it out in order to actually get it out.