Debian also ran a poll a few months ago in order to reevaluate that choice, at least partially. Quite the hint that all is not jimmy-dandy.
As a programmer in embedded, Systemd feels like it solves problems we didn't have, and introduces problems we didn't have. I what point is it more conservatism than "if it ain't broken, don't fix it"? God only knows.
Well, every time the Systemd topic pops on HN or Reddit (and even other places where you wouldn't expect it [1]), I go fetch some popcorn... It seems that different people have different needs and different experiences, hence the flamewars.