That's an over-simplistic comparison between the AB and Boeing autothrottles. You don't get more thrust if you simply push the AB thrust levers forward if they're already in a gate. Boeing's don't have a physical gate but they work the same without having to physically move them (they move themselves) for takeoff or climb. On the Boeing's it's also easier to override the thrust lever motors and place them manually without having to turn the autothrottles/thrust off like you do on the AB. There is no override function on an AB - it's either fully automatic of fully manual.
I've flown both, the Boeing design is better. BTW, I land almost every landing with the autothrust/throttles off in Boeing and AB products. So I'm not a slave to the automation. But I'm a fan of the automation because it allows us to focus on other stuff. Overall the automation increase has been a huge improvement but it has it's downsides.