Choosing a default that requires less effort to verify the security of is never a bad idea, especially if you know the limitations of the people at place you’re in. It isn’t worth teaching everyone everything about SSH on top of one’s normal set of daily tasks.
Let’s settle into reality for a hot minute: absolutely nobody is getting fired over “what’s the point of a SSH server’s public key”
My perspective comes from spending lot of time training and onboarding devs. Devs can level up their skills if you give them a chance. That's why I push for upskilling rather than dumbing things down.
I get where you're coming from with the SSH key stuff. And yeah, it's practical to go with easier options most of the time. You're right that no one's getting fired over SSH keys. But hey, learning this stuff can make the team stronger in the long run.
I understand this is a petty example as Senior developers can be flexible about these things and strong-minded about others.