I use it because I prefer editors that don't require relevant mental overhead (and for me, the text-editing "efficiency" is the least relevant part of the editor experience). Simplicity is a big factor for me in editor choice. I used Sublime previously, but VSCode won out with significantly better intellisense support – this python extension for example. The language servers have been awesome.

Startup time, designed from the start as cross platform (i.e. not _ported_ to windows) , sane default configuration and keybindings, customizable using a language that a lot of people already know?

I like emacs (and spacemacs), and I really appreciate all the ideas that have come from it. But it's not easy to get started with.

VS Code uses Javascript the same way Emacs uses Lisp. For people more familiar with Javascript, it is not a bad idea. And it has a very active community that has created lots of plugins.

Personally, I do prefer Emacs, if only because by now I have accumulated ten years worth of customizing. But I have tried VS Code a few times, and I can see why people would like it. (There is a plugin that gives you Emacs-style keybindings.)

I guess works out of the box experience.