The 2022 version of 3ds Max released last week, with new additions and workflows to Smart extrude, several overhauled modfiers and massive speed improvements.
New features and documentation in: What’s new 3ds Max 2022.
Note that the Keyhydra 1.0 plugin is now free to use for 3ds Max.
Autodesk does what Blendon’t (at least in modeling). They at least know that tool polish and speed is important.
Which is why it is hopeful that since Blender now has a fully functioning modeling module (with sprints), the gap can be closed a bit.
While Autodesk is there in terms of performance, the UI and workflows are less streamlined than Blender’s in the mesh modeling department imo. In terms of modifiers Max is clearly in the lead, its modifier stack is much more versatile.
I also really hope Blender gets major performance updates as well as these small things to specific tools (e.g. Loopcut on mouse hover + Set Flow options, like Swiftloop). At least it is reassuring that Howard is involved in the modeling module!
E: As for rendering, hopefully Blender is able to adopt Material X and OSL more thoroughly. Recent thrid party renderers and Arnold alike, all received ‘Imagers’ and light mixing, I would like to see those in Blender too.
But, the best part of being an open source developer is that you don’t need to care about those boring things like polish and speed. Blender developers doesn’t owe anyone anything.
Man, what I wouldn’t give for Max’s Smart Extrude functionality. It’s what Blenders Extrude Manifold should have been, in both what it can do (basically booleans with the move tool) and how easily you naturally interact with it (with just shift + dragging).
That + the retopology modifier is actually a paradigm shift in hard surface modeling.
Sculpt mode (mostly) aside, a lot of Blender tool development feels like this as soon as the most basic form of functionality is implemented:
One idly wonders why the 3DS people seem to be selling “next year’s version” a year in advance . . . 
That smart extrude is really nice indeed!
Exactly. I posed this in Extrude Manifold thread.
Some great and very practical modeling features.