PHP has fixed or semi-fixed a lot of its main complaints, and you can write maintainable code with it if you have discipline.

I'd go as far as to say its ecosystem (with Facebook working on it), documentation, and library coverage surpass any other backend web language.

The real problem with PHP isn't going to be fixed, though. That's the schizophrenic language design.

So, yes, you can get stuff done in PHP. It's a solid language to build a prototype, although, again, Python and Node are just as good, if not better.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, who cares? You can solve problems and program in other languages, too.