In theory, `Never` can be a substitute for every type, since you have no instance to call any methods on, but that breaks down with static methods since those don’t need an instance. Right, the issue is with static and initializer requirements. The `Never` type itself can be a subtype of all types in the language but that does not mean that `Never` can conform to all protocols. So, it gets hairy when you introduce generalized existentials into the language. i.e. `Never` needs to be a subtype of those existentials without necessarily conforming to the protocol. Related, SE-0217: https://forums.swift.org/t/se-0217-the-unwrap-or-die-operator/14107/222