Shimano, SRAM, and all the bike manufacturers who want to sell you more gears don't want you to know that everybody doesn't need what they're selling.
If you don't ride long distances, and the terrain is fairly flat, wide-range gears aren't much benefit.

Fixed gear is simple, elegant, cheap, not obsolescence prone, and often just as fast. People think it's too hard, or they'll forget to pedal, or go over the bars, so they're afraid to try it. I was skeptical, too, when I first heard about it years ago. But I had to try it, so I converted an old road bike- and I was hooked. About half my miles are on fixed gear. I did change over one of my bikes to single speed, but I don't like it as much except for casual rides. It feels like the worst of both worlds.