I think it says more about the state of software today than anything else, when 4GB of RAM and a CPU that's faster than the laptop I was using 10 years ago (compare https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+Duo+T240... and https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+4415Y...) is still considered "slow" for those everyday tasks that haven't changed in 10 years.
The 2015 model actually had 4 GB, but that was a 12.9" screen and substantially pricier.
They stuck with the same 4 GB in 2018's redesign unless you buy the very expensive 1TB storage option, in which case it's silently bumped up to 6 GB. Apple oddly doesn't even advertise that difference, it only came out through benchmarking.
Hopefully the 2020 refresh bumps it up to 8 GB which I think would future proof new devices for 5+ years of solid performance.
They are hostile too. Some of them won't let me build my own client or use a third party one.