Because C guys keep spreading the false arguments that C was some kind of language sent by god to solve all performance issues, while we in the trenches when the language sprung into existence know it wasn't never the case.
Not to mention the fact that other programming languages, on the mainframe and workstation space, were already starting to collect the benefits of whole program optimizers.
Not to mention the fact that other programming languages, on the mainframe and workstation space, were already starting to collect the benefits of whole program optimizers.