Dic / Usages: as much as

1. The same quantity as. As with as many(def.2), the meaning of much as a large amount here is qualified by what follows. For ex.,

• Please help yourself to as much of the meant as you want indicates whatever amount you wish.

2. [Also however much, much as] Even though, no matter how much. For ex.,

• As much as I hate to, I mush stay home tonight.
• However much it hurts, you ought to admit you were wrong.
• Much as Karen would love to see us, she can't get out of her prior commitment.

3. [Also, so much as] In effect, nearly the same as. For ex.,

• Mom as much as told Jane she couldn't go.
• The clerk so much as accused the customer of shoplifting.
  
  These expressions intensify the meaning of the verb and indicate that the action is unexpected.

.... The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms

CF. Other randomly chosen examples:

• This has been as much a journey of overcoming obstacles, reaching out to former members and finding forgiveness as much as it is about telling a story. ... Link

• Coming out is about self-acceptance as much as it is about self-discovery. ... Link

• A simplified Christmas isn't about circumstances as much as it is about focus. ... Link

• If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. ... Link

• This is yours as much as it is mine.  ... Link

• The biological object is made of time as much as it is made of space and matter.  ... Link

• St. Paul home renovation is as much as making things new as is about preserving the past.  ... Link 

• Signing your name to something like this is as much as making a pact with the devil himself!  ... Link

• Fair representation is as much as making sure there is discussion and reference to artists that make work...not just the Gladwells and Hensons. Come off it, we can aspire to that.  ... Link

• But here's how I approach it: This is, as much as making an extraordinary cake, a hobby.  ... Link

• It doesn’t matter what the goal is, as much as making the process of working towards it meaningful. ... What your goal is doesn’t matter as much as whether the process of working toward it is meaningful to you.  ... Link

• Every day is a chance to start new, begin again, move forward or change trajectory. New You is all about wellness, inside and out. I love standing on my head as much as making skin care products, as much as making music... ... Link

• As I know they take as much pride and as much joy as making their drums, as much as I love playing them!  ... Link

• It's probably not as much as weight loss, as much as it is about the muscle toning[,]  but I still have to lose weight. ...  Link

• we need to embrace the maxim that development is as much about the development of people as much as it is about business and as much as it is about place, and as much as it is about environment. Yet we readily fall into the trap of valuing what we measure rather than measuring what we value.  ... Link

• I don't think this is as much as a character driven story as much as it is about the whole situation...  ...  Link

• It underscores that communication is as much a science as an art, as much process as it is about outcomes.  ... Link

CF. Concessive "as much as" and "much as" Which came first?

     Related: "Much though" vs "much as",
                Use of 'Much as',
                Using "as much as" at the start of sentence