Would people automatically update to the new versions of the libraries you mentioned?
The problem with unpublishing is that it changes an existing version. If instead of depublishing a correctly versioned empty module named leftpad was pushed to npm (increment major, because a non-implementation is incompatible with an implementation), there would not be half as much pain.
As long as unpublishing exists, micromodules increase the "attack surface" to this specific method of changing the contents of a specific published version.
The problem with unpublishing is that it changes an existing version. If instead of depublishing a correctly versioned empty module named leftpad was pushed to npm (increment major, because a non-implementation is incompatible with an implementation), there would not be half as much pain.
As long as unpublishing exists, micromodules increase the "attack surface" to this specific method of changing the contents of a specific published version.