From perspective of ASCII-only application, vim interface isn't actually bad, it just lacks discoverability. There is also a real cost to making tool beginner-friendly and it often makes sense to optimize for advanced users instead.

An interface lacking discoverability is a bad interface.

Once you learn the tool, discoverability wastes screen space and user focus. It's like training wheels, at some point you want them off or they slow you down. I'm not a vim user, I just appreciate the UI trade-offs made by its devs.

At that point, you should be able to hide the parts of its interface that you no longer need. Defaulting to an optimized, non-discoverable setup from the start is simply a bad idea.

Vim interface is copied too often for you to call it bad. It’s obviously well-loved.

I use vim, enjoy it, and get invited to parties.