I watched the linked talk by Andrew Kelly - super interesting stuff. I've played a bit with data oriented design in the context of implementing an ECS, but some of the topics he discusses take it to another level entirely, and it's very cool to see it applied, with measurable results, in a large serious project like a compiler.

I have a lot of admiration for Zig, as I think it takes a very interesting approach to being a "better C", and the no-nonsense approach, ruthless simplicity, and thin abstraction over the hardware fall very much in line with my values as a programmer.

As a product manager, a few thoughts ran through my head when when I was watching this: with where Zig is as a language, is this kind of focus on extreme memory optimization actually the best use of his time?

There's an argument that it might be: maybe this is an exercise in dogfooding Zig as the kind of language which is suitable for data oriented design. Or it could be Kelly has fallen victim to the temptation many of us do, in following the most fascinating path rather than the one that's creating the most long lasting value.

Either way I guess that's a luxury he has the right to indulge as an independently funded auteur PL designer.