The problem with JS ecosystem is less about size and more about the number of files.
I refuse to believe that there are real people so eager to jump on the JS hate bandwagon that they unironically believed every word of an obviously satirical article.
(babel has never included a picture of Guy Fieri.)
https://github.com/babel/babel/blob/f36d07d30334f86412a9d277...
But again, people are so ready to froth at the mouth wherever JS is even mildly concerned that I really shouldn't be surprised they'd take a meme that lasted for a handful of days seriously.