YMMV. In my experience, developers are equally productive (and in many cases, more productive) on high-performance platforms for a variety of reasons. These i

YMMV. In my experience, developers are equally productive (and in many cases, more productive) on high-performance platforms for a variety of reasons. These include the aforementioned reduced friction of avoiding subconscious performance debt, the increased productivity of a typing system (many high-performance platforms have stronger typing systems), and the reduced mental burden of a simplified system architecture. Yes, some platforms (e.g., WordPress) give you certain functionality off the shelf, but if your application isn't a CMS or blog, then the utility of that functionality is low. When building a custom REST or REST-like server for an application, a CMS platform isn't necessarily a reasonable starting point. As with anything in technology, many variables need to be evaluated to make a decision. My point here is that performance is a consideration—more significant and valuable than many people understand—and it at least somewhat objective. Developer productivity is more difficult to objectively measure and varies by team on matters such as previous experience.