Some people don’t understand that systemd isn’t the only init system, not even just the only init with modern features. We have runit, OpenRC, s6, dinit, each with very levels of features. The reason there is no real competitor to what systemd does is because it is “cheating”, and by that I mean systemd isn’t just an init system. It has major scope creep, trying to do everything. It isn’t even the best at doing what all the other software it replaces (like DNS, time, etc). What it offers that is irresistible to developers is unifications and abstractions which make developing for Linux simpler. This though is the exact opposite of what many people love about Linux: the option to pick and choose.