The success of R in Statistics (in respect to Python, etc) was that it was thought from the beginning with Statisticians and their specific needs and approaches

The success of R in Statistics (in respect to Python, etc) was that it was thought from the beginning with Statisticians and their specific needs and approaches in mind. As much as I appreciate Python, it is a general purpose programming language adapted to Statisticians needs, not the other way around. R has many issues, but if you speak to Statisticians you will hear that its the closest thing they have to their own way of doing things.