The problem of SQL is that is is ubiquitous.

The advice to learn SQL is because it's everywhere. Now it has inertia, and a better way of doing things has an uphill battle. In 1980-s somebody compared working with SQL to drinking data through a straw, comparing to swimming in data with APL. We had a recent article comparing modern SSD delays and RAM sizes to those which defined architectures of SQL systems of recent decades - we can perhaps reengineer our databases better for modern opportunities. But all these approaches have to deal with SQL as an entrenched technology. Probably a task for a company of a Google class.