Not much help to the OP’s original question, but I think people mostly like what they’re used to.

Case in point, when I bought a new bike I switched from all 7800 to Rival mixed with Shimano drive-train (7900 crank, ultegra chain and cassette). At first I didn’t like the mostly SRAM group for some of the reasons mentioned in this thread—my hands were used to the 7800 levers, 7800 was quieter etc etc. But as I started to ride my new bike almost exclusively, I started to like the Rival more and more – the positive action shifting, the ability to pivot the right hand shifter close to the drops to shift while sprinting, even the smaller/flatter shape of the hoods etc. etc. As I rode my new bike almost exclusively I started to think Rival was better than 7800.

Now, the new bike honeymoon period is over, so I use both bikes equally and I appreciate both groups for what they are. 7800 is definitely smoother, quieter (almost like the old style friction shifting sometimes), but I love the mechanical feel of the SRAM system in situations where I want to be 100% positive of my gear selection.

Bottom line: I personally prefer the 7800 bike if I’m riding alone and can appreciate its silky smooth quietness. When racing or doing group rides I prefer SRAM, when these qualities don’t matter and the SRAM characteristics I mentioned above matter more to me.