> This is the VHS-versus-Betamax dynamic, or TCP/IP versus the OSI model, or QWERTY versus every ergonomic alternative proposed since 1936. The technically superior solution loses to the solution that’s easier to deploy, easier to hire for, and good enough for the use cases that pay the bills.

Without commenting on the merit of the claims, the problem with this statement is that in many cases there is no universal "technical superiority", only tradeoffs. E.g. Betamax was technically superior in picture quality while VHS was technically superior in recording time, and more people preferred the latter technical superiority. When people say that the techinically superior approach lost in favour of convenience, what really happened is that their own personal technical preferences were in the minority. More people preferred an alternative that wasn't just "good enough" but technically better, only on a different axis.

Even if we suppose the author is right that his preferred approach yields better outputs, he acknowledges that constructing good inputs is harder. That's not technical superiority; it's a different tradeoff.