Isn't it great, some years ago, ubuntu "was sitting on top of debian", but provides a good out of the box experience. Don't get me wrong, I like ubuntu a lot, but I wonder if we have a "NOPEos" in 5 years, sitting on top of PopOS.
It's turtles all the way down.
Maybe. Ubuntu's gotten burned a few times in trying new UI paradigms, so now they're fairly conservative and have settled into a model where they make their money on the server.
PopOS is a great distro for people just hopping over and new to Linux. All the software and features most people want are there and easy to install, with even Steam/Gaming being just a click or two away.