On of the tricks to a healthy discussions is to actually read/listen to what the other side is trying to say. Without that, you're just talking to yourself.
Although, based on your response, I did go back to read their original post to see if I missed some nuance, and I did.
They were talking about using the alternate model WITH Claude Code. I didn't know that was an option, and would definitely be willing to try things out (as we all are experimenting a lot these days).
At the end of the day, it's less about Claude Code, but that form of coding. It's not perfect by any stretch, but it has changed my ability to ship features in HUGE ways.
Update: This is not a comment on the technical strength of z.ai, but I would have concerns about it being based in China. This isn't insurmountable, like with companies like Zoom that are Chinese owned but guarantee US-based servers/data/staff, etc. But I suspect that will hold many back. Again, everyone's a grownup here, and I'm sure z.ai already has a plan to address that "weakness" in their value.
As for what you missed was a nuance (a subtle distinction or variation) or whether it was the main point of the OP's question, I'll leave that up for debate. Imo it was not a nuance at all.
And FYI, this can probably also be interpreted as having malice, which is not the case.