> Honestly don't care for the idea of a system secured from its owner

It's not. It's making your data secure more secure from attackers.

Not having root prevents me from taking proper backups that include app data, it prevents me from using Aegis to import TOTP codes from Authy. I get that on some abstract level it is more "secure" from any malicious software that might find its way onto the device, but the practical upshot is largely obstructing the user from using the system.

Have you ever had to work on a locked-down machine at an office? I don't need Google or Graphene to play IT department for me.

> Not having root prevents me from taking proper backups that include app data

You can handle this better without root. GrapheneOS includes SeedVault per default for example.

> Have you ever had to work on a locked-down machine at an office?

Fortunately I'm the admin at work :)

> I don't need Google or Graphene to play IT department for me.

GrapheneOS is security+privacy first and "enabling root" compromises on this. Thats why its not recommended.

As I'm sure you're aware, SeedVault won't backup app data if the app authors have opted out of it. Again, this is an example of a system serving masters other than the device's owner.