One other factor that matters for some, including me, is that nobody else in my family drinks coffee, and the Aeropress is an incredibly great way of doing coffee for one that with maximum results and minimum cleanup.

Other people in my family drink tea, so we keep a teapot and the Aeropress immediately next to the kettle and it works out great for us.

James Hoffman, mentioned in the OP, has an excellent method of using it though. Removing all the bullshit and serving a slap in the face to the culture around it, I've actually come to enjoy this device using his no-nonsense "recipe".

I still prefer a good pour over but sometimes a quick plunge with the aeropress hits the spot.

I disagree. I think the reasons are all solid. It's (used to be) cheap, almost unbreakable, easy to use, easy to clean, easy to carry, no faffing (unless you want to be pretentious), highly tolerant on incontinences regarding grind size or brew times. There is no other coffee brewer that ticks all these boxes simultaneously, and I tried them all. The only downsides are it doesn't make huge hearthy portions for multiple people.

>People are so damn pretentious about it with their recipes and championships.

So what? You don't have to be. Just use it the way it suits you best. That's kind of the beauty of it: you can use it like a caveman or like a campion barista if that's your jam.

Now re-reading it, I am not sure if that reading is entirely justified given the "removing all the bullshit and serving a slap in the face" in the latter sentences. Oh well!