The twenty percent quoted is referring to the size of the compiled artifact (one assumes ELF or Mach-O).

Whether or not a language is verbose or obscure is very much about your coordinate system. Not unlike safety.

I think C is a reasonable zero for both things.

Zig is more succinct and safer than C while still being comparably ergonomic. Rust is (mostly) safer and more succinct than Zig while being dramatically less ergonomic (take it up with Wadler memory chads, no one likes affine types).

I like lean4, which is dramatically safer, more succinct, and more ergonomic than Rust.

But I can see why some would say it's a bit too succinct.

> Rust is (mostly) safer and more succinct than Zig while being dramatically less ergonomic

This is just your opinion.