>.NET was a solid choice for backend builds before Node became so popular

The problem with the community is that this statement has been said for every version in every era despite how untrue it is lol. No matter what ills or blights .NET will put on your solution the developers will always sing its real or imagined praises.

This is the #1 reason I avoid interacting and working with .NET teams because it's still true to this day.

Honesty would go a long way.