Lateral joins for me went from basically unknown to very regular use in the last two years. Once you get it, it can simplify a query so much.<p>Same thing with coworkers. They give me blank stares when I bring up lateral joins, I explain some use cases, and they realize how much it helps.<p>Folks who want nothing to do with SQL won't learn no matter what techniques are available. The folks who are open to it discover the entire universe of possibilities that exist beyond what the ORMs have exposed to them. Shoulders, giants, and all that.