> for what I do (ML, image processing, simulations), linux is just less hassle in my opinion

I'm in a similar scenario (genomics, not ML). I pretty much gave up on using any local machine for this work and use my primary computer (desktop or laptop) to connect to my remote Linux servers to do this work. It just isn't worth the hassle to try to keep proper dev environments setup and in sync for work like this. I still use the Mac for other things like email, writing, generating figures, etc... but there are far faster machines for more difficult number crunching.

One of the exceptions here would be something more interactive like video or image editing (which is a workflow the Mac is really well designed for).