[Kim_Bruning]

In fact, all living things form a category of self replicating machines.

Depending, your [highly optimized] self-replicator might have some stiff competition.

[danielheath]

The idea that a designed machine could be competitive with living things at self-replication (the sole target of a multi-millenia optimisation process) seems… pretty unlikely to me.

[throwaway316943]

It doesn’t seem far fetched to me, evolution cannot see nor understand mistakes it makes. There is still plenty of room for optimization.