> you could do the same back then with multiple models and more targeted finetuning

I mean, come on, this is just not true. You could not achieve anything like what you can with modern agentic coding with Fable / 5.6 Sol from any combination or configuration of GPT 3.5 era models.

It's like saying that a teenager isn't an intellectually meaningful improvement over a toddler.

Sure they're both still fundamentally flawed humans prone to cognitive error, but one is clearly more likely to hit the mark than the other when assigned a task.