I bought a new macbook as insurance against a potential supply chain crash and it came with Tahoe :(
On my M2, I have kept it on 15 but Apple aggressively tries to trick me into upgrading in a way that reminds me of Microsoft's behavior with Windows 8/10.
It's not that bad, pop ups every few months.
I just buy older stock or refurbished these days. M1s and M2s are still good enough for me. Recently picked up a refurbished M1 16" because I wanted a larger screen in bed / on the couch for a good price with good condition refurbished from amazon.