AOT compilation is actually usable in net7, and I'm told it's got much better in net8 - massively reduces startup time (and in net8 apparently binary size too)!

Interesting. I never upgraded to 7, been waiting to try 8 when it’s out. Might give the beta a try

My CLI is 180-185ms startup time, and about 10-20MB for a complex app (with a runtime dependency).

keyword: with a runtime dependency :)

For CLIs I much prefer self-contained build outputs which is quite huge when it comes to .NET unfortunately.