PHP is only "simple" and "proven" in that it has proven countless times that it is simply terrible at everything.
Not saying this is the case because I don't know you, but that's been the common theme for a long time.
It's like hearing a carpenter complaining their hammer is just not good and nobody should use hammers and they should instead use a screwdriver because everyone knows how bad and outdated hammers are.
[1]: https://w3techs.com/technologies/history_overview/programmin...