Intellectually capable to do what? Orchestrate some of the largest distributed network systems in the world? I bet you all the best functional programmers wouldn't be able to create something as big as Google if you got them in a room together. Nor would they be able to create anything as important as UNIX, like one of Go's creators did. Nor UTF-8. Nor the JVM HotSpot machine. I could go on. What have you done that Ken Thompson couldn't?
The fact that none of these highly accomplished individuals want anything FP-related in Go says far more than what typical Go-haters want to think it does.
> The fact that none of these highly accomplished individuals want anything FP-related in Go says far more than what typical Go-haters want to think it does.
Does it?
I'm not a Go hater but just because they were involved in making the things you listed doesn't mean they would do it again with Go. It just means they don't trust others with different languages.
I don't think what you said refutes people's perception of Go, which is its a fairly limited language that is good for keeping people on rails (like fresh grads). That might make sense for a large business hiring lots of people but maybe not for small companies.
Also there is a world of difference between FP features and the basic features people asked for in Go (like generics).
Mr. Pike's quotation assumes that the Googlers should not be expected to be too intellectually capable. That's the damning part for me.