Popularity is not a good a metric for comparing value. If we were to use it for choosing where to shop, the top choice would be Walmart [0]. This isn't to say that VSCode is bad, just that Vi/Vim being less popular doesn't mean it's not worth it for anyone to learn. It's also good to have a healthy field of tools to pick from. Plus, learning Vi to a degree that is productive takes a week of use, and then the keybindings can be applied elsewhere, such as VSCode.

[0] https://nrf.com/resources/top-retailers/top-100-retailers/to...