The programmer who posted this question is asking the wrong thing. They assume the debate is about skill level, advanced Excel formulas versus VBA code. It is not. The real question is whether the tools we rely on are designed for the work we actually need to do.
VBA gives a programmer total control. That is its appeal and its trap. When you know how to write code, every spreadsheet problem starts to look like a scripting problem. You automate, you build macros, you craft custom functions. And it works. But what you are really doing is building a workaround for a tool that was never meant to handle the complexity you are forcing into it. The programmer in that thread has already discovered this: they can make Excel do almost anything, but the effort required is out of proportion to the result. That is not a sign of mastery. It is a sign that the tool has reached its limit.
Consider what advanced Excel users do without code. They build nested formulas, array functions, dynamic ranges, and conditional logic that reads like a puzzle. It is impressive. But it is also fragile. A single misplaced cell reference or an unexpected data type can break an entire workbook. And when it breaks, only the person who built it can fix it. That is not productivity. That is dependency.
The better path is not to choose between VBA and advanced formulas. It is to ask why we still accept that choice. Spreadsheets should not force users to become amateur programmers or formula architects just to handle modern data workflows. The real innovation is in tools that understand intent, not just syntax. Imagine a spreadsheet where you describe what you need in plain language and the system handles the logic. Where transformations happen automatically, and complex analysis is guided rather than coded. That is not a distant future. It is the direction the most forward-looking platforms are already taking.
For the programmer in that thread, and for anyone who has felt the friction of traditional spreadsheets, the takeaway is simple. You are not wrong to want control. But control should not come at the cost of simplicity. The next generation of spreadsheet tools will empower you to build faster, collaborate easier, and focus on outcomes instead of workarounds. The question is not whether VBA is better than formulas. The question is whether you are ready to explore a smarter path.