but we do... 4 years after Rust, we got a first glimpse at Zig. Even today, there's a lot of people that believe that Zig would have been a better choice for the Linux kernel than Rust.
And the answer to "why now" is quite simple - Because of the whole Rust in kernel debate, people started scrutinizing the situation.
Then Zig people should be the focus of “this kids and their new shiny” criticism, not Rust.
People who become aware of something only when it’s being used by something huge also aren’t early adopters either. Rust has already been in the Windows kernel for years at this point, with none of this consternation.