For me, it’s the confidence of knowing you’re hitting the right key. Memorizing how your layers are configured is nbd (it quickly become second nature). 42 keys (CRKBD?) allows you to confidently strike each key and confidently return to home. I’ve never been able to guarantee this if a single key is even 2 units away from home.

That being said, I think the most important thing is that you like what you’re using. If you prefer Mac’s native keyboard, more power to you. More keyboard happiness is less work stress.