It's unlikely Python would still be a popular language without Conda. As the article says, many Python users are not traditional software engineers - they need a tool that just works and Conda is the closest thing in the ecosystem.

Used to spend much time to optimize Gentoo Linux but eventually switched to Ubuntu to be productive. I feel Conda is similarly useful, especially if not considering Docker i.e. local dev, and am disappointed hackers seem to be dismissing it.