> Of course if you prefer a language, use it, but don't argue that your preference has any bearing on how well your language helps you avoid issues like runtime type errors that other languages don't experience. You either have to write more unit tests, or pray, or be infallible.

I've not once mentioned my preference. My preference and where I spend the majority of my time developing server libraries and Services C# which I consider the most well-balanced modern statically-typed language available.

But I'm not naive enough to think everyone would be better off developing in C#, most startups prefer dynamic languages with good reasons stemming from being quicker to market, faster iteration times, more malleable in implementing customer requirements and having a rich pool of talented resources available. There are a lot of smart people sharing the same opinion, like Alan Kay:

> If you’re using early-binding languages as most people do, rather than late-binding languages, then you really start getting locked in to stuff that you’ve already done. You can’t reformulate things that easily.

- http://mythz.servicestack.net

Smalltalk was first released 45 years ago and it still has live programming features like being able to re-program its IDE while it's running that I've never seen any static language been able to do. There's a whole class of software I can't imagine being built in a static language, like Wordpress rich extensibility and plugin ecosystem, I've implemented a few Wordpress sites and custom plugins which would've taken an inordinate amount of time in a statically typed language. I've spent a few years developing PHP and I very much dislike PHP based on its language merits, but I have an appreciation of what it's been able to be built with it.

There are other classes of software that are extremely hard to implement in a statically typed language like React which IMO is revolutionary in developing complex UIs.

I also think it's infeasible for tools like Webpack to have been written in a typed language, where its able to import any kind of asset in the source files that use them, being able to easily chain loaders together, running incremental watched builds that transpile source code, generate source maps, inline images, cache-breakers, etc. Webpack's Hot reloading feature would also take significantly more effort to develop in a statically-typed language. Tools like this are born from dynamic languages because it's simply much easier to do which would've taken significantly more effort in a statically-typed language.

I also develop and maintain http://techstacks.io (Server in C#, not that it matters) and see the amazing number of successful products being built with dynamic languages, not in-spite of them. From what I've seen a large majority of successful SV startups use dynamic languages.

Languages and technology should be a tool to achieve your objectives, many technology choices involves trade-offs, dismissing and throwing shade on successful companies usage of dynamic languages prevents you from seeing the benefits they have in using them, what advantages they have and which scenarios where they'd offer the most compelling value. The reason why many amazing software and talented engineers use dynamic languages isn't because they don't know statically-typed languages exist - it's a mistake to write-off other people's choices because they don't share your same views.