The post you're responding to is probably referring to languages that are further afield from JavaScript than Typescript (or coffeescript).

After wrestling to get get purescript code within a factor of four difference between IE 11 and modern Chrome, I think the suspicion a lot of folks with a background in JS have for "compiled" v. "transpiled" is well deserved.

Just because you target a runtime doesn't mean the nuts and bolts of ergonomics like existing library usage, profiling, and debugging are covered well.