That's a really perplexing question, isn't it? I gave up trying to answer it after your "Beating the Averages" essay didn't make the world-changing impact it rightly should have.
I suppose the good news is that Lisp hackers today don't have to feel the fear you felt during Viaweb, that the competition would figure out you were using Lisp, start using Lisp themselves, and beat you. Now we know that kind of thing just doesn't happen. Now you can shout it from the rooftops and know they'll only fear you, since you must be some amazing braniac to be productive in so difficult a language.
I suppose the good news is that Lisp hackers today don't have to feel the fear you felt during Viaweb, that the competition would figure out you were using Lisp, start using Lisp themselves, and beat you. Now we know that kind of thing just doesn't happen. Now you can shout it from the rooftops and know they'll only fear you, since you must be some amazing braniac to be productive in so difficult a language.