@davidgerard You will probably know who to ask, or maybe a reader will have the answer: I know there were people not insane about AI who tested the actual capabilities of the thing. Did they saw an improvement between 2024 and today?
(I'm not defining improvement because I don't want to exclude interesting answers from people who know more than I do)

@davidgerard What was the failure that needed repair? Did you get back a repaired laptop or a replacement?
In other words, do this looks intentional (either by the organization or employee theft) or could this be accidental?
I'll mention the adventure to my social circles and advise that anyone needing to send back a laptop for repair add a post-it saying "I have records if you steal my RAM you will get caught"