[goodpoint]

Because (despite the hype) Erlang embeds principles that can be implemented in other languages and they solve only a narrow set of problems in distributed systems. This does not justify a dedicated programming language.

[bigDinosaur]

Is Erlang particularly hyped? I don't usually see it suggested as a solution, I see it almost exclusively in reference to something already written in it, a fait accompli, like WhatsApp.

[carlmr]

WhatsApp was scaling really well with a really small team, a good testament to the power of the language.

Of course you can take over some of these concepts, but I don't know any other language that is so well designed around the actor model.