rochak parent
I'd say it is more about how esoteric LaTeX extensions/plugins felt like when I picked it up (I was just getting into the field back then). I am sure that now, after years of experience, I would be more open to give it a shot again. Unfortunately, I am no longer into research anymore. I did have fun converting my LaTeX resume to Typst though.
Using extensions these days is more like searching a software registry (CTAN in this case) for packages and looking up its API documentation. But your last sentence says a lot. The reason why Typst feels so much more ergonomic is that it resembles modern programming and markup languages. They have the advantage of hindsight. LaTeX markup does indeed feel esoteric, no matter how many times you use it. Perhaps it made more sense in its days.