Is this the same as what I've read of as the (humorous) Haskellers' motto: Anything but success! or Avoid success at all costs? or something like that? :) Meaning maybe that they do not want to dilute the purity of their language for industry success?
Edit: A quick google finds this, which is enlightening:
Simon Peyton-Jones from the Haskell community explaining exactly that: "What happens if [a language] become successful too quickly? You can't change anything!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re96UgMk6GQ&t=1395