Haha, I was wondering when vim vs emacs would show up in the comments!

This quote from the article is true for me: I don't know anybody who uses emacs, so therefore "the most productive developers I know" can use vim.

That said - fair point! Emacs can also be a great option for text-based editing. Having spent time SSH'd to machines where I don't have the ability to download/install software, having vim preloaded on the machine means I don't have to worry about installation.