# Clojure Deref (Aug 13, 2021)

DevFeed: [Clojure Deref (Aug 13, 2021)](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/clojure-deref-aug-13-2021-49523.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://clojure.org/news/2021/08/13/deref>)

Published: 2021-08-13T00:00:00Z

Content type: news

Language: en

Sources: [Clojure News](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/clojure-news.md>)

Topics: [Clojure](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/clojure.md>), [Programming language](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming-language.md>), [software-development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-development.md>), [Stack Overflow](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/stackoverflow.md>)

Tags: [2019](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/2019.md>), [clojure](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/clojure.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [programming-language](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming-language.md>), [stackoverflow](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/stackoverflow.md>)

## AI overview

A Clojure ecosystem news roundup highlights Clojure-built companies reaching unicorn status, results from the 2021 Stack Overflow survey, ongoing work on Clojure keyword aliases and new functions, and recent Clojure-related media and releases.

## Source excerpt

Welcome to the Clojure Deref! This is a weekly link/news roundup for the Clojure ecosystem. (@ClojureDeref RSS) Highlights This seems like a good week to highlight some more Clojure unicorns (private companies with valuations of at least 1 billion USD). One of the largest unicorns in the world is of course Nubank($30B). A few weeks ago we highlighted Amperity ($1B), which reached this level with their latest round and back in January AppsFlyer ($1B) became a unicorn. This week we have two new Clojure-built/friendly companies joining the list - Reify Health ($2.2B) and TaxBit ($1.5B). It's great to see people build growing and successful companies with Clojure. Are there other Clojure unicorns? Who is missing from this list? The Deref was on vacation last week but we saw the results of the 2021 Stackoverflow survey. In 2020, Stackoverflow failed to include Clojure as an option so we were glad to see its return this week. Notably, Clojure again topped the list as the top paying technology (as it did in 2019). Additionally, Clojure was the 2nd most loved programming language. For those that filled out the survey, thanks for sharing your info! Finally, shout out to Dmitri Sotnikov for the release of the 3rd edition of Web Development with Clojure! In the core This week, I've been working with Rich on exploring several different options for lightweight keyword aliases (the most highly ranked request in https://ask.clojure.org). We've now explored several possible options for this - changing the semantics of alias, creating a new kind of symbolic only alias, adding a new clause to ns, and currently we are looking at modifying :require itself, which is currently looking the most promising. More to come as we make some more syntax decisions and hopefully move this towards the 1.11 stream! Fogus has been working lately on new update-keys and update-vals functions, also one of the top rated requests on Ask Clojure. He's been working with Rich to refine the docstrings and sema