That’s what I thought too - and I tried other tiling window managers in the past, only to quickly return to whatever I was used to. But somehow i3 hit the spot, It you’re used to screen or tmux, this thing has the same DNA and you’ll feel right at home. Give it an honest try, you might just like it.
But I do believe that you kind of have to be halfway there already to “get it”. My halfway-there was being so used to the same concept in the terminal. If you’re never exposed to tiling in any way, shape or form, maybe it’s more of a stretch.