Remember that the M1 compares to the high end outgoing i7s and not recently ago those were more than good enough for many pro users, and had a good lifespan to boot.
I work with large, data intensive software projects on the the (8GB) M1 and it hasn't left me craving any more power. I think where the m1 pro/max actually becomes necessary, is in *heavy* 3D, Video and ML workloads. Anything short of that and you might just be better served by the m1 for the price.
Anecdotally, I have a couple coworkers who work with video and are convinced they need the top M1 Max/64G to do their job. Currently they work on 4-year old i5/i7's. I have to keep reminding them that what they currently get their "professional" video work done on pales in comparison to the M1, which is a fraction as powerful as these new machines.
There are other great features/improvements in the new machines other than the chips though. No denying that. If budget is not a constraint, I think the new pros are awesome and I would not dissuade anyone from it. Just think that people tend to overestimate the power they need or assume that what they do is so pro, that anything less than the best won't do.