[vbrandl]

Maybe by releasing often (every 6 weeks or out of band for bug fixes like this), they make it easier to use a current version of the compiler, in comparison to the old Java release cycle of multiple years.

Also testing the compiler against the whole ecosystem on crates.io before releasing a new version helps building trust in the backwards compatibility of new compiler versions.

So they are doing something to establish a culture where updating your compiler regularly is encouraged. I don't have actual numbers and I don't know how enterprise Rust shops handle their compiler versions, but they are doing things to encourage (not force) users to keep their compilers up to date.